Sandra and Gerry-Journey To Parenthood
by ZaxCasualtyHolby
Summary: Sequel to 'A Voice Of An Angel' which charts Sandra and Gerry's journey towards parenthood, the baby's birth, and their wedding. I do not own New Tricks or any of the characters!
1. Chapter 1

Sandra and Gerry-Journey To Parenthood

A/N

This is the sequel to 'A Voice Of An Angel' and it charts the journey of Sandra and Gerry as they prepare for the birth of their baby, the baby's birth, and then, of course the wedding. I have no idea how long it's going to be! It could be 5 chapters or 50! ;)

Again, this fic is told from Sandra's point of view, and it takes place after Christmas, so basically, it's in the present J

Enjoy!

Laura xxxx

Chapter 1-Wedding Plans

Gerry and I are laying on the sofa in front of the fire, chatting. It's been a couple of weeks since i sung at the police ball, and I've assured Gerry that there will not be a second time!

"Er, Sandra, when exactly are we getting married?" Gerry asks me. 'Well, it's too late to get married before the little one is born, so next year?' I suggest. "Why not this year?" Gerry asks. 'Gerry, we are going to be too busy with the baby, we'll be tired because he or she will be keeping us up till all hours, we've got to be sensible' I tell him He thinks this over, frowning."Okay, I can see your point." He smiles. "I can't wait to marry you" he adds, kissing me. I kiss him back 'The feeling's mutual' I reply.

'Do you think I'm going to be a good mum?' I ask Gerry later on, when we're lying in bed, talking. "Of course you are, Sandra!" Gerry replies without hesitating. 'But what if something goes wrong like it did last time?' I ask in a small voice. "Sandra, listen. Did you spend a lot of time at work when you were pregnant before? Did you sometimes skip doctor's appointments?" Gerry asks. I nod. "Well then. This time it's going to be different. I love you, so I'm going to practically drag you to the doc's, and even if you look the slightest bit pale I am going to take you straight to the hospital" he tells me. I smile. I know that, unlike before, I'm surrounded by people who love and care for me, and that Gerry and I's baby is going to be one of the luckiest, and probably most knowledgeable by the time they are 5 (thanks to Brian) child in the world.

More soon and reviews are welcome as always!

Laura xxxxxx


	2. Chapter 2-Terror

Chapter 2-Terror

1 week later...

Oh crap. Help. I'm terrified. I've just gone downstairs after I've got dressed and ready for work, Gerry's having a shower. Thing is, you see, the letter that I'm holding informs me that me doctor's appointment is on Thursday next week , something which I knew already, and I'm going to have a load of tests, a scan, and a blood test. Gulp. I hate anything to do with needles. I am not scared of many things, apart from spiders. But needles, I cannot abide. I really can't.

"What's that?" asks a voice, making me nearly have a heart attack. 'Jesus, Gerry! Unless you want me to do from fright before our child is born I suggest that you stop doing that!' He looks guilty. "I'm sorry, what's that?" he asks again, pointing at the letter in my hands. 'It's a letter saying what is going to happen at the doctor's appointment next week. It says that I have to have a blood test; you know how much I hate needles' I reply. "Ah yeah, you are going though, aren't you?" he asks. 'Of course I am. And you are coming too to make sure that I don't chicken out' I tell him. "I've never known you to chicken out on anything!" he says, pulling me up off the chair and kissing me gently. 'Yes, you're right,' I tell him in between kisses 'I'm not' "It will be fine, I promise. Now let's go to work!" he smiles.


	3. Chapter 3-Sandra's past revealed

Chapter 3- Sandra's past revealed

1 hour later...

"Morning, Sandra" Brian nods at me. 'Morning' I reply, smiling at him. "Can I take your coat, Sandra?" Gerry asks me. I slip my coat off 'Thanks, Gerry' I smile, handing my coat to him.

'Boys, gather round, I want to tell you something' I say to Brian and Jack. Last night, before the needle fiasco which is now lingering at the back of my mind, Gerry and I agreed that I would tell Jack and Brian about my miscarriage.

"Is this a new case?" Brian asks me, sitting on the sofa in front of the incident board. Jack joins him. "Yes, Brian, you're right, what is this all about?" he asks. 'Right, you know that I'm pregnant?' They both nod, looking confused. 'Well, 12, nearly 13 years ago, when I was still in the Murder Squad, I was engaged to my partner at the time, James. We found out I was pregnant, and we were obviously very happy. But then, I miscarried. When I told James, he walked out on me, saying that I'd deliberately terminated the pregnancy. So my current pregnancy might not go to plan, there is a chance that I could lose this baby' I tell them, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Jack and Brian's faces are...Shocked, horrified, even. "Where is the bastard?!" Jack asks angrily. If he had his way, he'd find James and wring his neck. 'Last thing I heard he'd buggered off to Barbados' I reply. "Good thing an' all!" says Gerry, wrapping his arms around me, rubbing my back whilst I sob silently.

"Sandra, do you know where your baby is buried?" Jack asks me. I nod. 'He's buried next to my dad' I reply. "He?" Jack prompts. 'Yes, I found out when I miscarried it was a boy, we were going to name him James Junior' I say. Brian pats my arm awkwardly. "Sandra...I don't know what to say, I'm sorry' he says. 'Thank you' I reply, smiling at him weakly through my tears.


	4. Chapter 4-Telling Strickland

Chapter 4-Telling Strickland

There's one person we haven't told about our baby yet. Strickland. We've told him about our engagement, but not this. Gerry and I plan to tell him today, it's the day before the 1st scan, and the blood test.

'Gerry, come on, let's go and face the music.' I tell him. 'You two, go and visit the copper who originally worked this case, and try and stay out of trouble.' I tell Jack and Brian. Gerry takes my hand and leads me out of the office.

I knock on the door to Strickland's office. "Come in" he calls. I open the door and walk in. Gerry follows suit. "Ah, Sandra, Gerry, take a seat" Strickland orders us. We oblige.

"Now, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?" Strickland prompts. 'Yes, sir. I'm pregnant.' I reply.

Strickland's trying to smile, but as he's always had a bit of a thing for me I suppose it's quite difficult for him. "Congratulations" he says eventually, a strained smile coming over his face. I smile politely. 'Thank you, Sir' I reply. "When are you two planning to get married?" he asks. I'm taken aback, I wasn't expecting that! "Well, its early days, but I can't wait to marry Sandra, so it will be early next year" Gerry replies for me. "Okay, well again, congratulations" Strickland says again. 'Oh, sir, there's one more thing.' I quickly tell him about James and the baby I miscarried. I also request that UCOS doesn't receive any cases where there is a woman who miscarried or had an abortion for the next 12 months, because I think that it will definitely be difficult for me and maybe Gerry. 'I know it's a big ask, and it may not be possible, but sir, please can you try?' I ask. Strickland nods. "I'll see what I can do, Sandra, I promise. Shall we talk about your maternity leave closer to the time?" he asks. I nod. "You can go now" he dismisses us. I get up and walk out, Gerry hot on my heels.

"He does 'ave a heart after all!" says Gerry when we're walking back to the UCOS office. "Oi, he's all right really, for a tosser' I say, punching Gerry's arm playfully and kissing him.


	5. Chapter 5-Early morning discussion

Chapter 5-Early morning discussion

Today is Thursday. The day of our baby's scan. Not forgetting my (gulp) blood test, as well.

I awake early. My appointment is at 11, Gerry, of course is coming with me. Truth be told, I'm shaking with nerves.

Gerry Junior is coming over tonight for a sleepover, it's teacher training day at his school tomorrow.

I get up and wander into 1 of the 3 spare bedrooms. 1 of them is Gerry Juniors'. The other two will be the baby's. I got into 1 of them, mentally trying out different designs. If our child is a little boy, I am banning anything to do with Chelsea Football Club; Gerry Junior's room is bad enough! Little dragons all over the walls!

I can hear Gerry moving around in the other room. "Sandra? Where are you?" he calls, his voice slightly panicky. 'I'm in here!' I call back. He comes into the room. 'Planning the baby's room?" he asks softly. 'Yep' I agree. He pulls me into his arms. "What are you hoping our baby to be? Boy or girl?" he asks. 'I don't mind, personally, but wouldn't you like a boy?' I ask. "No, I'd like another little girl. I mean, I have Gerry Junior and he's enough trouble!" Gerry laughs. I smile back. I know, no matter what gender our child is, he or she will be very much loved.


	6. Chapter 6-Stop Panicking!

Chapter 6-Stop Panicking!

A/N

So I hope this is in character, I have been told that some of this isn't in character for Sandra or Gerry from now on I am going to try to keep them as in character as possible.

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxxx

'Gerry...Do you think our little one will be okay?' I ask when we're driving to the hospital. "Sandra, stop worrying, it won't do any good, just relax, okay? It's not good for you or our little one" Gerry reassures me. I smile, Gerry always knows exactly how to calm me down, even if it feels like my world is crumbling around me, Gerry pulls me back up and back on track.

40 minutes later...

I've just been examined, and everything is fine, I know what's coming next, the blood test, oh help. "Sandra, could you please just hop off the couch for a minute and then we'll take a sample of your blood" the Dr Gregory asks me. I oblige, getting off the couch, walking to the seat next to Gerry, taking my jacket off and dumping it on his lap, causing him to roll his eyes.

I roll my shirt sleeve up and wait for the piercing of the skin, the shot of pain. It comes, quicker than I expected. I shut my eyes and squeeze Gerry's hand.

Eventually, the needle is out, and the doctor asks me to go back onto the couch, it's time for my scan! He pulls a screen attached to a scanner over to the couch; Gerry moves his chair around so that he can see a little better. Dr Gregory squirts cold jelly over my tummy and runs a scanner over it. A grey, fuzzy image appears on the screen, that's Gerry and I's baby.

I cast a glance over at Gerry; his face is a picture of happiness. "Your baby seems to be doing fine; by the size of he or she I reckon that you will be due on 20th August." Dr Gregory beams at us.


	7. Chapter 7-All time high and a thank-you

All time high and a thank-you

Gerry and I walk back into the UCOS office. "Well? Is your baby okay?" Jack asks. Gerry and I grin like loonies. "Yes!" we both reply. Jack gives me a hug, and shakes Gerry's hand; he's also smiling like a mad thing. "Congratulations" Brian smiles at us.

A couple of hours later...

"Right, I'm off to pick Junior up from school. Sandra, what time are you going to be home?" Gerry asks me. 'I'll be home by four thirty I promise' I smile back. "Bye then" says Gerry giving me a kiss. 'Get some ginger biscuits on the way home that's what little one has decided they want for a snack!' My cravings has struck already, I knew they were common in early pregnancy, but not this early! Gerry rolls his eyes in mock annoyance and walks out of the office.

"When is your baby due?" Jack asks me when we're on the way to a witnesses' house. '20th August!' I beam back. "A summer baby then" Jack comments. I bite my lip. 'It's going to be a tough time' I reply. "Sandra, I've known you since you were fourteen, remember? You'll be fine, Gerry loves you, we all do, even Brian, underneath. You're a strong woman and we'll all stand by you no matter what" Jack tells me. 'Jack, without you, Brian, Esther and Gerry I wouldn't have got through the past ten years, with the truth about Dad and everything. Thank you' I reply, trying not to cry. It's true, my team and Esther are my rock.


	8. Chapter 8-Fish and chips, anyone?

Chapter 8-Fish and chips anyone?

"Sandra!" Beams Gerry Junior, opening the front door a couple of hours later. 'Hi, GJ' I reply, giving him a hug. 'What's your granddad up to?' I continue, following the little boy into the lounge. "Boo!" Gerry Senior comes up behind me and surprises me. 'I thought I told you not to do that!' I protest. "You'll forgive me because you love me" Gerry says, kissing me. 'I love surprise hugs though so I'll forgive you' I reply teasingly. "Ewww!" whinges Gerry Junior. I laugh. 'Stop that now otherwise I'll arrest you!' I joke. GJ giggles.

"English or Indian?" Gerry asks,. We usually have a takeaway every Friday, but seeing as Gerry Junior's round we decided to have it a day early. 'We had Indian the other day, fish and chips tonight, I think' I reply. "Okay, GJ do you want fish and chips as well?" Gerry asks his grandson. "Yep!" the little boy beams. 'Okay Gerry, get a large portion of chips for the three of us to share, the small fish for GJ, and the medium fish for me, please. Are you having fish as well?' I ask. "Yep, I'll go and get it no, the shop'll be open" Gerry replies, getting his coat on.

"i suppose that we're getting some practice in for when our little one is older" Gerry says to me after we've spent half an hour convincing GJ that he's tired enough to get to bed. 'Yeah, that's one way of thinking about it' I reply. 'Hopefully our little one won't be a little bugger like GJ can be at times!'I laugh.


	9. Chapter 9-Visit to Whitemead

Chapter 9-Visit to Whitemead

A couple of weeks later

It's my fortnightly visit to my Mum's; Gerry is taking his grandson to a Chelsea cup match today, so he managed to wriggle out of it. He usually knows exactly how to deal with my Mum, but I'm going to have to wing it today!

"...And Sandra, if my grandchild is a boy, will you be naming him after your father?" my Mum asks. 'No, Mother. My baby whom I miscarried was going to be called James Gordon, so I don't think so, no' I reply. Mum nods. "Sandra I know that you and I have had our ups and downs, but I hope that your child can help us to well... Get on better?" Mum asks. I smile. 'Yeah... I suppose. But you'll still lecture me as normal on everything under the sun!' I frown. "Of course I will, I've done it all of your life, don't expect me to change that habit now!" Mum replies. I smile at this. I know, that underneath it all, Mum really does care for Gerry and I and our child.

"You're not working yourself too hard, are you Sandra?" mum enquires. I roll my eyes. 'Mother! I promise I'm not, Gerry is keeping me on the straight and narrow, and he's barely let me out of his sight since the scan!' I reply. We've now had the second scan; our little one is fine and healthy. Mum laughs at this. "Men! Gerry should know by now that you're strong enough to look after yourself; I brought you up to be like that! Still, it's good that he's keeping you in order" she replies.


	10. Chapter 10-Fun and The Name Game

Chapter 10- Fun and The Name Game

I'm now five months pregnant. And, I'm exhausted, now comfortably into my maternity wear, and grumpy. Poor Gerry doesn't seem to know if I love or hate him at any hour in the day!

'Gerry! I'm in a good mood, I won't bite, promise. Come downstairs, I've got to talk to you about something!' I call up the stairs. "Promise you won't yell at me?" Gerry jokes. 'I won't, I've just promised you! I gave you and the boys a bollocking this morning, that's enough for one day! Little one is having a kick around if you want to feel? You love it!' I try to persuade my stubborn and scared fiancé. "Okay, I'll be down in a minute!" Gerry calls back.

'Right. We're going to talk about name. It's exactly four weeks and two days until we find out if we are having a boy or girl.' I tell Gerry a couple of minutes later. "Do we have to?" Gerry whinges. "I'm tired!" 'Yes, we do! Let's think about boys' names first.' I reply. "Gerry Junior" Gerry says hopefully. 'Are you actually joking? I'm ruling out that, James, and Gordon. I like the names Miles, Jacob, and Joseph' I reply. "I'm still hoping for Gerry Junior! Nah, I'm joking, Jacob's nice" replies Gerry, rubbing my tummy. "Do you want to be called Jacob? How about Ernest for a boy? Edwina for a girl?" he jokes. By now, I'm shaking, helpless with laughter. 'Gerry! Stop it! I'll cry my makeup off!' I giggle.

As if in response, our baby gives a hard, firm kick. "See! Little one agrees! They love the name Jacob!" Gerry grins. 'Hmm. What about girls' names?' I ask. "Jessica is a nice name, it's quite traditional" replies Gerry. 'Yeah, I've noticed some of the older names are coming back. I heard someone calling the name Matilda the other day! Jessica is... Yeah, I like it...' the more I reflect on it, the more perfect the name Jessica seems to be. 'Okay, definitely Jessica if we have a girl' I reply, noting the name down. "How about Jessica Grace, after your mum?" Gerry asks. 'Jessica Grace Standing... How about Jessica Grace Rose Standing?' I smile. Gerry grins back in response. "Sandra, that's perfect! I love it!" he replies, kissing me. I kiss him back. 'I didn't think it'd be this easy' I reply. "Well, I'm full of surprises, me!" Gerry replies. I giggle. 'I know you are, you surprised me when you took that picture of me snoring and put it on Facebook!' I reply. "Did you see that?" Gerry asks guiltily. 'I wouldn't be telling you if I didn't! Brian and Steve saw it and liked it!' I reply. Gerry looks even guiltier. "Sorry, Sandra" he says. 'That's all right, I'll just upload this to Facebook' I tease, selecting a picture from my Ipad and tapping the upload button. Gerry sees it. "Don't you even think about it! Nooo!" he says helplessly. I've just uploaded a picture of him wearing Brian's AFC Wimbledon scarf last week.


	11. Chapter 11-Baby madness and wedding plan

Chapter 11-Baby madness and wedding plans

A/N

Some religious views expressed in this chapter are not my own.

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxxx

The next day...

'Gerry! Why are you waking me up at seven on a Sunday?! It's far too early!' I whinge. Gerry's opening the curtains; sun is streaming into my eyes. "We agreed that we'd hit the town centre today and look at baby stuff!" Gerry replies, giving me puppy dog eyes. 'Yes, but not this early! Come back to bed!' I order. Gerry obliges. "I'm sorry, you and little one need your beauty sleep" he says, kissing me. 'You're right. I want to discuss something with you before I forget. Our wedding.' I reply.

Gerry smiles. "Okay! I thought you were going to take that photo off Facebook" he jokes. 'Not a chance. When are we actually going to have the big day?' I reply. "How about July? It's your birthday month and you love the Summer time" Gerry replies. 'Yeah... Organising a wedding is going to be a big job...' I answer. "You'd better start now then! Where are we going to get married?" Gerry asks. 'Well, I don't want to be married in a registry office, I'd like to marry you in church' I reply. Gerry looks astonished. "What's wrong with a registry office? And, we aren't religious so why do you want to get married in church?" he asks. 'I used to go to church with my mum was I was small, it does mean something; I do believe in another, like, Godly existence, sort of.' I ponder. "Sandra, stop getting all deep at this time of the morning! I agree with you, though" replies Gerry. I kiss him. 'You know me, hidden depths!' I smile. "Hmm, like when I persuaded you to sing at the Met Police Ball" Gerry grins. 'Bullied, more like!' I reply. "Oh, go on! You loved it!" Gerry smiles. 'I did, but don't ever ask me to do it again! I had stage fright!' I reply. "What, you?" Gerry asks, surprised. 'I was slightly scared, yes!' I admit. "I thought you weren't scared of anything!" Gerry looks confused. 'The three things I'm scared of are spiders, public speaking and if our little one is going to be okay or not' I say. Gerry squeezed my hand. "Sandra, our little one will be fine, stop panicking, if the doctor says they are ok then they are ok, yeah?" he assures me. I kiss him, grateful for his reassurance.

A couple of hours later...

'Gerry! Come and look at these! They are really cute! We have to buy one or two!' I drag him towards a shelf full of baby toys. "Yes, Sandra, I agree, they are cute, but we'll look at them later, I remember when Jayne was pregnant with Caitlin, we spent too much time looking at cute baby stuff, a week before Caitlin was born we realized we hadn't bought anything practical and we had to go on a mad dash all around the shops!" Gerry replies. 'Okay, but we are definitely buying this!' I say, holding up a small toy giraffe. Gerry places it in the trolley. "Right. First item chosen! Let's go and look at the cots" he walks in the direction of the lift, which takes us to the cots and bedding department.

We've picked up at least ten free leaflets around the bought some baby grows, a hospital bag, and we're now deciding on a cot. 'I like the design on this one' I point out a cot with rounded edges. "Yeah, I agree. I think it's the best out of all the ones we've seen" Gerry replies. 'Okay, let's order it!' I smile. I'm getting really excited now, it's only a few weeks until we find out if we're having a son or daughter. Mum warned me that parenthood isn't all it's cracked up to be, but I know that Gerry and I will come through it, perhaps with a few mistakes, arguments, and the odd tear now and again!


	12. Chapter 12-A Darling Daughter or Son?

Chapter 12- A Darling Daughter or Darling Son?

I'm finding it difficult to not stop smiling from excitement. Today, at one o'clock, Gerry and I are going to find out if we're having a baby girl or boy!

"Sandra! We've brought Christopher Sims in for interview, are you going to sit in?" Jack asks me. 'Yep, it'll be good if we could nail him today' I smile. "Excited for this afternoon, are you?" he smiles. "Of course" I reply. 'Anyway, let's see if he'll budge in regards to Sarah's murder' I walk out of my office.

"We got him! I can't believe it, he admitted it!" Brian beams a couple of hours later. I smile back. This case has dragged in for far too long, Christopher Sims has been supposedly innocent. Today, though he's admitted that he murdered his girlfriend in cold blood. To be honest, I felt a little ill when we looked through the crime scene photos. Gerry took one look at my face and nearly frogmarched me out of the office. I protested my case though, and I've conferred with Strickland, I'm going on maternity leave a month before my due date.

"Er, Sandra? It's half past twelve, we'd better be off" Gerry informs me. 'Okay, I'll just log my computer off and write some notes' I reply. I now keep my own record of cases, in a grey tartan notebook that Gerry gave to me on our first anniversary together.

We're going to have a little girl! The Doctor has just told us, we've had the scan as normal; our little one is beginning to look like an actual baby now!

'My face hurts from smiling' I say on the way back to the office. "I can't wait to see my girls' reactions when they learn they are going to have a little sister!" Gerry smiles. 'Caitlin will be pleases, she won't be the youngest anymore! Jessica will! We are going to call her Jessica, right?' I confirm. "Well, I love the name, it is perfect, do you still like it?" Gerry asks. 'Of course! It's not too old or too modern, a good balance' I reply. 'I would have protested strongly if you had suggested something like Xander, Star, or something!' I add.

Gerry looks aghast. "I wouldn't have suggested something like that anyway!" he replies. 'I know, I was only teasing!' I smile.


	13. Chapter 13-Wedding Plan and Memories

Chapter 13- Wedding Plans and Memories...

I'm now eight months pregnant. It's early July, I'm on maternity leave now. I'm using the time wisely, today Caitlin and I are starting to plan the wedding. Gerry of course, is at work; Caitlin is under strict instructions not to let me do anything strenuous!

'Right, I'll get my Ipad and make a list of what's going to happen et cetera. Have you got your laptop?' I ask Caitlin. "Yep. Right, first thing on the list is where?" Caitlin asks. 'Saint Joseph's church. My dad used to take me there when I was little, I have a lot of happy memories from my time there.' I respond. Caitlin smiles. "Aww, that's sweet. What dress are you planning or hoping to have?" she asks. 'I know the exact dress I am having. I saw it in a bridal shop the other day' I show her a picture on the shops' website. "I think it would really suit you" Caitlin gives me a hug. "Are you okay? Dad said that you weren't coping very well with the heat" she says. 'Summer is the worst time to be pregnant, ' I reply. "Well, not long now! I'm looking forward to meeting my little sister!" Caitlin replies. I smile. 'Well, you probably won't have to wait very long! The doctor says that there is a chance she'll be born prematurely' I reply. "Are you scared?" she asks. 'I am, but the doctor has assured me that everything will be fine, Gerry's worrying like crazy though!' I smile.


	14. Chapter 14-Meeting Jess

Chapter 14-Meeting Jess

A couple of weeks later...

"Sandra! You've kicked the bedcovers off again! Stop it!" Gerry says grumpily. It's sweltering hot, the middle of the night and all I want to do is sleep. Jess has been kicking up a storm inside my tummy all day, I've been very uncomfortable since I got up this morning. I'm tired of pregnancy, tired of the mood swings, all I want to do now is give birth to my daughter and meet her!

'I'm sorry Gerry, I'm not sleeping very well at the minute, Jess is kicking like crazy' I reply. He kisses me gently. I sigh. 'I don't think she's going to be in there much longer' I say. Oops. I really should not have said that. "What, now?!" he asks, looking terrified. 'No, at least I don't think so' I reply.

I'm wrong. One hour later, a terrible pain shoots through my back and tummy. I cry out. Gerry wakes up immediately. "Sandra, what's up?" he asks. 'I've just experienced a shot of pain in my tummy, I think that Jess is going to put in an appearance. Soon.' I reply. Gerry practically leaps out of bed. "Where is your hospital bag? Shall I ring the hospital up?" he says. 'My hospital bag is on the landing, no, you do not need to ring the hospital up, put my hospital bag in my car, the keys are in my handbag. Then you can come back upstairs and help me to get dressed' I gasp as another contraction hits me. With a worried look, Gerry rushes out of our bedroom.

'Gerry, don't you dare leave me, however loud I scream,' I tell him. By now, we're both in the hospital, I'm in a hospital bed and Gerry is well, his face is one of terror. 'Gerry, I'll be fine. Just hold my hand and keep rubbing my forehead like you've been doing for the last hour' I reply, before yelling out in pain because another contraction has hit me.

Two hours later, our newborn baby's cry fills the room. Jessica is handed to me, wrapped in a grey towel. 'Hello little one' I whisper to her. She blinks her blue eyes at me. I turn to look at Gerry. His eyes are full of love. "She's gorgeous" he says. 'She is' I smile, kissing him gently. "I am so proud of you" he kisses me gently. 'I wouldn't have got past these last few months without you' I reply.


	15. Chapter 15- Meet The Family

Chapter 15-Meet the Family

One o'clock the next day...

"Sandra, I've arranged for everybody to come here at 4'oclock, that's the next visiting time. Is that okay?" Gerry asks the next day. 'Yeah, great' I smile. We're still slightly in shock; we can barely believe that Jess is here! She's currently sleeping; Gerry and I are having a chat until our daughter decides that she's hungry again! Gerry leans over to kiss my gently. "She's so sweet when she's sleeping" he smiles down at Jess. 'She is' I agree. 'Oh, when is my mum coming?' I enquire. "She's coming over after everybody else has gone; I think she wants to talk to you" Gerry replies. I'm surprised at this. 'Wherever did you get that idea from?' "She said so" Gerry replies. 'Okay, but if she starts to nitpick, you know how she likes to do that, you have my permission to drag her out of the building' I joke.

"I'm going to nip home for a bit, Esther and Brian are coming over for lunch. Esther's bringing something round as well, I think it's something to go in Jessica's room." Gerry tells me. 'Ooooh! What is it?' I ask curiously. "That's for us to know and you and Jessica to find out tomorrow!" Gerry replies. 'That's not fair! You've got to tell me, please?' I beg, giving him my best puppy dog eyes. He usually melts when he sees them; it's never failed to work when I need to get something out of him. "Esther says I've got to keep quiet" Gerry replies. I scowl. Gerry smiles and kisses me goodbye.

A couple of hours later...

"Hi Sandra! Hey Dad! Is this Jessica? She's so cute! Are you okay?" Caitlin is the first in line to come into the room. I smile at her excitement. 'Yes, this is Jessica Grace Rose Standing, your little sister. Of course, she's a little early, but she's just fine. Yes, I'm okay, exhausted but happy' I smile. Caitlin gives her best puppy dog eyes, something which she has inherited from her dad. "Please can I hold her?" she begs. 'Of course' I hand Jess, who is currently quiet because she's just been fed, to Caitlin. Her face is a picture. "She... She's just so sweet; she's definitely got your nose!" Caitlin tells me. 'Yeah, and her hair is ginger, as you can see, like Gerry's was before his crowning glory turned grey.' I reply. "Oi, I heard that!" Gerry comes into the room with the exes, GJ, Paula, Amelia, and Emily in tow. "She's only joking! It's true though" Jayne smiles. I laugh. "She's gorgeous, congratulations" Paula smiles. 'Thank you' I reply. "Caitlin? If you would be so kind I think that Carole would like a cuddle. Am I right?" Gerry asks his ex. Carole smiles back. "Yes please" she says.

"Where have you lot been?" Gerry asks Jack, Brian and Esther fifteen minutes later. "The Satnav went wrong!" Brian replies. I roll my eyes. 'Jack, don't tell me, is it Brian's latest obsession?' I ask. "Yes, please don't ask! Anyway, how are you?" Jack scowls at Brian and turns to me. 'I'm fine, Jess is fine too' I look over to the exes, they are all cooing over Jess. Paula, Emily, Caitlin and Amelia have gone to the canteen to go and get something to eat. 'Er, ladies? Sorry to crash your party, but I think the boys would maybe like to meet Jess?' I ask.

As if she is agreeing with me, Jessica starts to cry. 'Come here little one, you can't be hungry yet, I think you just want a cuddle, don't you?' I comfort my daughter."Er, Sandra? Have you had a brain transplant?" Jack looks dumbfounded. 'No, Jack I promise I haven't. I'm just being soppy that's all' I reply. Jessica gives another wail. 'Oh, Jess! I hope you aren't going to be a whinge bucket like your daddy!' I say in mock anger. "I ain't a whinge bucket! Jess, don't listen to what mummy says! I barely ever do!" Gerry says. Jessica seems to be frowning at me, blinking her big blue eyes. 'She's confused! Jessica, just pretend to listen to Dad's advice, listen to your mum if you need advice on anything sensible!" Caitlin chips in. "I'm outnumbered, aren't I?" Gerry looks miserable. 'Let's just say you won't be getting a minute of peace from now on' I give my cheeky smile to Gerry.


	16. Chapter 16-Granny's Visit

Chapter 16- Granny's Visit

"We'd be very much obliged if you lot would go now, Grace is coming in a minute and I think that she would like to spend a bit of time alone with Sandra and Jess" Gerry orders. "We haven't given them the presents yet!" Jayne scowls at Gerry. "Here's something from us" Esther places a small gift bag into my free hand. 'Gerry? Could you put Jessica back in her cot? She's sleepy and she'll start crying again in a minute if we're not careful!' I say.

'Aww! Thank you Esther, it's gorgeous!' I've just opened a present from Esther and Brian, it's a pink baby grow with 'Mummy and Daddy's Little Princess' on it. 'Jessica is definitely going home in this!' I smile. "Yeah, thank you Esther! No favouritism there, clever!" Gerry adds.

"Now for mine!" says Caitlin. She hands me a present. "This is from us four girls, we thought it would be nice" I open it. It's a silver bangle with 'To little Jess, lots of love from your four big sisters xxxx' engraved upon it. 'Aww! Thank you so much, this is so sweet!'I beam. "We knew you'd like it" Emily gives me a hug. "I'm pleased that I'm not the baby of the family anymore! Jess is the one who is going to get teased all the time!" says Caitlin. "If anyone bullies my little girl they will get personally marched down to the station by me! Isn't that right, little 'un?" Gerry asks Jessica. 'I don't think you will get much sense out of her, she's out for the count! And she's not even a day old, she can't talk and defend herself yet!' I reply.

"Enjoy it while you can, Sandra. Here is the present from me" Jack hands me something wrapped in pink paper. "Very girlie, Jack" Gerry observes. 'Oh, Jack this is lovely! We didn't think to buy one of these, it will be very useful, thank you' I smile at him. It's a bag to keep baby outfits in. He looks very pleased. "Well, I did ask Brian what I should choose, we agreed to tell each other what we were going to buy so that we didn't buy the same thing" he replies modestly. "Bye, everyone, lunch on Sunday as usual?" Gerry asks. He receives an affirmative from his exes and daughters. "I suppose you lot want to come and see Jessica as well?" Gerry asks the boys and Esther. They nod enthusiastically. 'See you then, bye!' I smile.

Ten minutes later...

"Right, your mum has just rung up, she says that she'll be ten minutes" Gerry informs me. I swallow a lump in my throat. 'Okay' I reply nervously. "Sandra Pullman, please don't tell me you are scared of your own mother!" Gerry reprimands me. 'Okay, fine, I'm a little scared, yes. She will nitpick at everything from what Jess is wearing, how exhausted I look and how often I'm feeding her!' I worry. "Sandra, that's just your mum. You'll have to grin and bear it, okay? I'll go and wait for her, upstairs, see you in a minute" Gerry gives me a kiss. "I love you, don't ever forget that sweetheart" he tells me. 'Love you too and I won't' I reply.

"Hello, Sandra" my mum greets me. 'Hi, Mum, how are you?' I ask. "I'm fine, Sandra, what I want to know is how are you? You look exhausted, did you get any sleep last night?" she demands. I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. 'I am a little tired, yes. Jessica was born at one'o clock in the morning, I eventually got to sleep at half 2 and was woken up again at 4" I realize that I sound like I'm whinging. 'I'm over the moon that she's here, though, would you like a cuddle?' I ask. "Of course. What is her full name?" Mum says whilst I'm lifting Jess out of her cot.. 'Jessica Grace Rose Standing.' I reply. 'You chose Grace as a middle name? After me, I presume?" Mum enquires. 'Mum, who else?' I snap. "All right, all right" Mum protests. "My granddaughter certainly has Gerry's face, I see that she has inherited your nose" Mum tells me. 'Yes, and she's also taken after him in the fact that she can sleep like a log! This morning after she had been fed, I was eating my breakfast and she didn't even stir!' I laugh. Mum joins in.

"On a serious note, Sandra I'm glad that I have a granddaughter, Sandra. Do you wish your life could have been different because of, well, you know, what happened with James?" she asks me, somewhat gently. 'No, I thought that my pregnancy was going to be difficult, that I'd maybe be sad about what happened before, but I'm not. I think I've sort of made peace with it' I answer. Mum looks relieved. "I'm proud of you, Sandra. For everything." She smiles at me. I cannot believe that I am getting on so well with her, but I know that Jessica's birth has changed everything, hopefully all for the better!


	17. Chapter 17-Home Again

Chapter 17- Home again

"Sandra? Are we almost ready to go?" Gerry asks me the next day. 'Yep, I've just got to brush my hair and do my make up' I answer. "That'll be a no then. I know you will be at least another fifteen minutes." Gerry replies. 'Hear that, Jess? Your daddy knows me very well, but what he doesn't understand is that us women have to look perfect' I inform my daughter.

"I heard that, you look amazing, as usual" Gerry kisses me gently. I put my forehead against his. 'I love you too; Jess has got to learn that you aren't exactly the best when it comes to to advice on fashion et cetera.' I giggle. "I'll leave that to you and the girls!" Gerry laughs. I know that our daughter is going to be very, very lucky to live in such a big family. She will have uncles, sisters, she will be surrounded by people who would do anything to protect her.

'I'm ready now, let's get going.' I strap Jess into her portable car seat. 'Gerry? Stop flirting with the nurse, it's time to go' I drag him away with my free hand. "I wasn't I promise! I was just filling her in on Jess and how lucky I am to be engaged to you." He kisses me gently. I smile. 'I was kidding! Surely you know that by now? Now if you would be so kind, please could you open the door? It's time to bring Jessica home' I grin.

"Sandra, there is a surprise waiting for you upstairs from Esther. I'm going to go inside and make sure it looks okay, are you all right to take her out of the car?" Gerry asks me. 'Yeah, that's fine, you know how I am with surprises though, don't be long!' I reply.

After a few minutes, Gerry comes back out. I'm just getting Jess out of the car. 'Ready?' I ask. "Yep, you and Jess go and wait in the lounge and I'll bring your hospital bag and the presents in. Okay?" Gerry answers. 'Yep, come on let's get on with it, I'm excited!' I insist.

"Close your eyes! No peeking! Jess keep an eye on your mum, cry out if she opens her eyes!" This is ridiculous, I'm standing outside of Jess's room, Gerry is beginning to drive me insane! 'Gerry! Remember that I am supposed to be The Bird In Charge here, I will be very, very bossy if you don't open that damn door soon!' I threaten him. "All right, all right! Keep you 'air on!" he protest. I hear the click of the door handle, Gerry puts his hand on my back and guides me forward. "Right. You're standing right in front of it, you can open your eyes now!" I do so.

In front of me, hanging on the wall, is a collage with the title "Sandra and Gerry, Journey To Parenthood". The first photo is one of Gerry and I on Christmas day, there's one that Gerry took of me eating a disgusting sandwich at work whilst I was pregnant, there's a selfie of Gerry and I when we found out that we were expecting a girl. The last one is a picture of Jessica, Gerry and I when she was a couple of hours old, there's many more of us both through the various stages of my pregnancy. 'Oh my God! It's amazing! I love it so much!' I gush. "Esther came up with the idea, Brian and Brian helped print out the pictures and put it all together." Gerry tells me. 'How long did it take?' I ask. "That's for us to know and for you not to find out!" he replies, giving me a kiss.


	18. Chapter 18-Family Time

Chapter 18-Family Time

'I am going to go back to sleep now. If you disturb me any earlier than ten, I will not be happy.' I threaten Gerry. As you can probably guess, I am not in the best of moods. Jessica has kept us awake nearly all night, screaming at the top of her lungs. I now have a thumping headache and I'm exhausted.

"Okay, calm down! Jess is sleeping now, I'll take her downstairs." Gerry lifts our daughter out of her cot and practically shoots out of the room.

"Sandra? Sweetheart? Are you okay now?" Gerry creeps into our room a couple of hours later. I roll over to face him, he's sat on the edge of the bed, looking worried. 'I'm okay now, I've had some sleep and my headache has gone now. Is Jess sleeping?' I ask. "Yeah, she's asleep in her cot. Come here" I sit up and Gerry kisses me. "Are you sure you are okay?" he asks me. 'Yes! I'm fine! How long is it since Jessica was fed?" I ask. "Two hours. That's how long you have been asleep for" Gerry answers. I look at the clock. 'It's 11'oclock! You should have told me, I'll take ages getting ready for everybody to come over for Sunday lunch!' I gasp. "Calm down Sandra! They' are not coming until 1!" Gerry assures me. 'Okay, I'll go and have a shower and get dressed. You can make me some breakfast, too.' I order Gerry. "Yes, boss!" he salutes me before going out of the room.

'Shh, it's all right, little one. Mummy's here 'I whisper to my baby. She's been fed burped, and changed. 'Let's go downstairs; I'll put you in your baby chair.' I tell her.

'Gerry? Where are you? I'll just put Jess in her bouncy chair and then I'll have something to eat' I call. Gerry comes out of the kitchen. "Okay, it's in the living room, by the sofa" he informs me. 'Thanks' I flash him my dazzling smile.

A couple of hours later...

"Hi Sandra! Where is my little sister?" Caitlin bounces though the door. 'She's in her chair in the garden. Give me a hug first!' I reply. "Okay, okay! Where's Dad?" Caitlin says. 'In the kitchen.' I answer as she gives me a hug. "Okay, I'll go and get Jess so everybody else can coo over her" Caitlin tells me. 'Okay, she's awake, remember to put one of the muslin square things over your shoulder in case she is sick! I've been caught out once this morning!' I warn.

I hear another knock at the door. 'Caitlin, that will probably be your sisters. Could you go and let them in, please?' I ask. "Yep, here's Jess" Caitlin hands me my daughter. 'Come here, Jess. It's likely to get very loud soon, let's enjoy the peace whilst we can!' I tell her."Bet she's not impressed!" Gerry calls from the kitchen. 'She'll have to get used to it! They don't mean any harm though, they are just a bit loud' I aim the last part at my daughter.

"Hi, Sandra! Hi Granddad! Can I hold Jess? Where is she?" Gerry Junior bursts into the room a minute later. "She's here, GJ. Of course you can hold her, sit on this sofa quick and I'll pass her to you before Aunty Emily demands a cuddle!" Caitlin replies, handing Jessica to her nephew.

'I am stuffed! I announce two hours later. We've just eaten a lovely Sunday lunch cooked by Gerry."Oh so you don't have any room for pudding? I made chocolate cake especially for you!" Gerry says. I perk up. 'I didn't say that!' I protest. Gerry laughs. "How did I guess?"

"Er, Sandra? Do you fancy a trip up to London sometime this week? You can start looking at wedding dresses and things." Paula asks me an hour later. 'Oh, that would be great! I don't suppose your dad is invited?' I joke. "No offence, but I'd rather not come, if you don't mind" Gerry looks guilty. 'I was only joking. What day do you two have a day off?' I address Gerry's daughters. "Well, I've got a day off all day Wednesday, but Paula doesn't finish till one so... I suggest about half past 1? Would that be okay?"Emily asks. 'Yeah, that will actually be perfect, I don't think I could manage a full day!' I smile. "Can I come over then?" Gerry Junior interrupts. 'Yeah, you and your Granddad can watch football or whatever whilst we have a girly day. Sound ok?' I ask him. He grins. "Yeah!"

"What's going to happen to Jess?" Gerry ask. 'I'm sure she'll be okay with us, the girls can take turns pushing her pram. You two can have a day of peace!' I reply.


	19. Chapter 19- Snuggles

Chapter 20- Monday Snuggles

A/N So this is just a little fluffy filler chapter :-) As always, reviews are welcome and enjoy!

Laura xx

The next day...

"Morning" Gerry stirs beside me. 'Morning. Jess has just been screaming her head off; I thought that would wake you!' I reply. "Well, you know me, I sleep like a log!" Gerry replies. He gets out of bed and lifts Jess out of her cot. "Morning, little 'un." He beams. 'What about me? Don't I get at least a kiss?' I pretend to be irritated and pout. "Of course" Gerry sits on the bed beside me and kisses me. "Can I borrow your iPad? I've got something to show you it's an app which Brian helped me to download it yesterday." 'Of course, here you go' I hand it to him.

He unlocks it with his free hand and turns the screen towards me. "You know that sometimes I video call Caitlin on a programme called Skype?" he asks. 'Yeah, and your point is?' I'm confused now. "Well, Brian has it on his laptop, so when I go back to work you can Skype us and we can keep you updated about the case." Gerry says, looking pleased with himself. 'That's great! You can see Jess as well!' I grin. "Yep! It's a win-win!" He answers. 'Yep!' I agree."Um, well... Strickland still could have meeting with you, I suppose" Gerry replies with a smirk on his face.

I frown. 'If he even dares to attempt it I will simply end the call!' I laugh. Gerry joins in. "Nah, I don't think he'd do that, he's not that mean! What's the plan for today then?" he asks. 'Well, Jessica needs more nappies, you were complaining that we needed some more flour, so I think a trip out shopping is due. My mum's birthday is soon so I need to buy her something.' I say, thinking things over. "Okay, then. Come 'ere" He wraps his free arm around me.

"How are you?" he asks me gently. 'Tired, my head aches a bit.' I admit. "Okay, you hold Jess, I'll go downstairs and get you some pain killers." Gerry hands me our daughter. 'Wait, I didn't say that! I'll be okay!" I protest. "Has anybody ever told you that you are a rubbish patient? Jessica, keep an eye on your mummy for me!" Gerry orders her, getting off the bed and kissing us both gently. "Don't move until I come back upstairs okay?" 'Oi, stop bossing me around! I like it when it's the other way around!' I protest. "Well, you are going to have to get used to it!" Gerry answers cheekily.


	20. Chapter 20-Plans

Chapter 21-Plans

Wednesday morning...

'What time izzit? Does Jess need feeding?' As you can probably gather, I've just woken up. Gerry is standing over me with a screaming Jessica in his arms. "Yes, she does. And it's 10'oclock" Gerry replies, handing Jessica to me. I undo my pyjama top and let her feed. Gerry's phone bleeps. 'I bet that will be Caitlin asking about today' I tell Gerry.

He sits on the edge of the bed and flashes the screen at me. "Yep, you're right. She says that she'll meet you outside the tube station at two. Is that okay?" he asks. ' Yep, I can't wait! This is Jess' first proper shopping trip!' I grin. Gerry rolls his eyes. "Oh Gawd". 'You'll have to get used to it! This is the first of many!' I reply. "Well, as long as I don't have to come on many!" Gerry reasons. 'Half the fun is seeing your expression of agony when I take an hour in a single shop!' I answer. "Has anybody ever told you that you can be absolutely wicked at times?" Gerry enquires. 'Yes, you! Many, many times! You still love me to bits though, don't you?' I ask."Of course I do, but not when you've got your whinging head on or when you shout at Brian, Jack and I at work!" Gerry replies. 'You love me really!' I say. "Where's your really? Just joking, I do!" Gerry replies, giving me a kiss.


	21. Chapter 21-Shoppping Trip

Chapter 21- Shopping Trip

A/N

Sorry I haven't updated in so long!

Laura xxx

'Bye, Gerry. Make sure you and you grandson behave yourselves!' I warn. "We will! I'll go and pick him up from his friend's house in about half an hour. Are you sure you'll be okay? You've got nappies etc?" Gerry fusses over me. 'Yes! We'll be fine! Bye! Stay out of trouble!' I reply, giving him a kiss and walking out of the door.

"Sandra! Over here!" Caitlin waves me over. I navigate Jess's buggy over to her. 'Hello! Where are the others?' I ask. "They are meeting us at a bridal shop called Save The Date, Amelia found it online, it's a showroom for wedding and bridesmaids dresses, shoes too." Caitlin answers. 'Ooh! That sounds good!' I grin. Caitlin smiles back."Can I push Jess for a bit? Pleeease?" she begs. 'Okay, I suppose that I won't get to now considering I'm her mum!' I reply. "I'm related to her as well! Okay, I'm only a step sister but I'm still family!" Caitlin protests. 'I was joking! And I know you and the others will be great big sisters' I smile. Caitlin grins back. "Thank you! Mind you, Amelia's advice when it comes to boys isn't exactly great… Don't tell her I said that!" she continues. 'I won't, I promise!' I reply.

"This is gorgeous Sandra!" Caitlin tugs me over to a wedding dress with a long train. 'Oooh! That's nice! But have you seen these shoes? They've got little white rosebuds on them!' I smile. Cait wrinkles her nose at me. "Sandra, why are you acting all giggly? You're acting weird I don't like it!" she replies. 'I'm just excited! I've never done anything like this before, remember!' I answer.

"Hmmph, I almost prefer you in your strict Detective Superintendent mode." Caitlin replies slightly grumpily. 'Your dad is terrified of me when I'm like that! When I shout at him he resembles a rabbit caught in headlights!' I laugh.. "Ha ha! When you were angry at him the other day, he texted me saying "Help, I've offended the Bird In Charge. I messaged him back telling him not to be a wimp and to go and apologise!" Caitlin giggles.

'Oh yeah, he told me! Anyway, let's go and ask if there are any wedding dress catalogues available, then I can start to think about ordering or trying on dresses next time." I reply. 'Okay, are we going to visit any other bridal shops? Or what about the tailor's for Dad?" Paula asks me. 'Yeah, okay, we'll visit a couple more then maybe go and get something to eat? And your Dad told me when he got married to your mums he had a particular tailor he went to?' I ask. "Yeah, that's right. John Hall and Son, I think it's called. Doesn't it feel weird talking about his exes?" Amelia asks me. 'No, it doesn't bother me, your Dad says that's all in the past and now I'm the only woman for him!'I reply happily. "He adores you, Sandra. When I saw him in town a few weeks ago Jess's arrival was all he could talk about, he kept worrying about you!" says Emily. 'He worries too much! That's one of his bad points! He can be a right grumpy guts too!' I say, making the others laugh.


	22. Chapter 22-Wedding Plans and Memories 2

Chapter 22- Wedding Plans and Memories 2

A/N

Okay so a slight trigger warning for this chapter I didn't intend for it to be this serious, I sat down intending to write some fluff but it ran away from me!

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxxx

I'm on the way home on the train when Gerry texts me. "Are you coming home yet? And is Jess ok? I'm missing you both! Xxxx :-(" . I text him back quickly. 'Yeah, yeah, we're coming! Jess is out for the count! And I haven't been missing you, I've been shopping ;) xxx'. "You promised you wouldn't go shopping! I told Caitlin that you were forbidden! She never listens to her old Dad! Xxxx" he replies. I laugh. 'I couldn't resist it! Next has some gorgeous baby clothes! They are adorable! Xxx' I answer. "You didn't?! She's already got enough clothes how many times! Sandra Pullman you are one impossible woman! I still love you to bits though! Xx" he says. 'Love you too! And yes I did :P. Anyway it's my stop now see you soon! Put the kettle on I need a cuppa! Xxx' I reply.

'Gerry! We're home!' I call as I walk in. "Hey gorgeous, I've missed you" Gerry comes up to me and gives me a kiss.

'Is the kettle on?' I ask cheekily a minute later, venturing into the kitchen. "Of course it is! I can follow orders you know! I'm off upstairs, Jess needs a nappy change." He replies. 'Okay, change her into her night sleep suit as well, she can have her last feed then she can settle down for the night.' I answer. I can hear a distant wail from upstairs. 'I'll do it, she wants he mummy, don't you sweetheart?' I jog up the stairs and into our room. 'Come here' I've taken Jess and changed her before Gerry can argue. 'I'm sure she loves her daddy too!' he protests. 'Yeah, yeah, Mums do it better though!' I wink at him. He scowls back. 'I was joking! I just need to get some practice in, seeing as you have had three daughters before!'I reply. Gerry shrugs. "Fair enough".

"We are going to discuss our wedding." Gerry sits down next to me. We've had our tea, and the last time I checked Jess was sound asleep. 'Okay, but I want to watch a film or something before we go to bed so don't be too long about it.' I reply. "All right all right, stop bossing! The first thing is the venue, I personally don't mind, you said that you wanted to marry in a church you used to visit with your dad?" he asks. 'Yep, I do. It's called St Stevens' and it's a Baptist church, I was close friends with a couple of the kids who used to attend there, I was a little angel back then.' I smile sadly.

"Well, it sounds like you have a lot of happy memories of that place, so we'll make one more and hopefully the best memory by marrying there." Gerry pulls me closer. I lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. 'I'm finding it difficult at the moment... Doing all this without him, I mean. When I told my mum about James and I she curtly replied that there was nobody to give me away.' I sigh. Gerry wraps his arms around me and looks into my eyes. "That's all in the past now, look to the future, sweetheart. Keep your chin up and be brave, okay? And know that I love you and Jess to bits, I'll always be here for my girls" he smiles. 'Aww, Gerry! That's so cute! I didn't know that you could be that deep! I love Jess to bits too, but I can't help wondering about James Junior, what he would have been like, you know?' I ask.

Gerry frowns for a minute."I can understand that, in a way. There is a name for everybody who loses their parents and partners, but no name for mothers and fathers who lose their children. I'm sorry Sandra, I wish I could make it easier for you." He says softly. Tears are in my eyes. 'It's okay, Gerry, I'll pull through. After the miscarriage and the separation from James, I went to work as usual but I cried myself to sleep for months. I only started to heal when UCOS started, I had something to live for, I suppose.' I admit. "Come on, you know that it's the best thing that's ever happened to you!" Gerry jokes. 'No, YOU are the best thing that's happened to me. I know I sound soppy but it's true' I smile. "You're cute when you're soppy! Anyway, shall we discuss caterers etc nearer the time or do you want to discuss it now?" he asks. 'Er, we'll just hire in some local people I suppose? Not many people are coming to our wedding, remember. Or we could just have lunch and/or dinner in a hotel or something' I reply. "Okay then, what film do you want to watch?" he enquires. 'Frozen! I love it!' I grin and begin to sing "Let It Go" my favourite song from the film. "You love it because it's about a pair of independent women!" Gerry groans, getting off the sofa to place the DVD in the player.


	23. Chapter 23-Summer Days

Chapter 23- Summer Days

A/N

So this is dedicated to my Twitter friends who chipped in and helped me with the songs for the wedding playlist! Thank you lovely people! And thank you to all who have read and reviewed this fic it means a lot :-) xxx

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxxx

It's September now, Jessica is now six weeks old. It's the weekend before Gerry goes back to work as well. We're having a barbecue tonight, Gerry insisted upon it so he can ask Jack and Brian which case they are working on. I'm hoping that an argument doesn't ensue between them! Gerry's exes, daughters, Gerry Junior, and Esther are all coming as well.

As much as I hate to admit it, the days are getting colder and it's likely to be one of our last barbecues of the year.

"Oh Gawd! Not the Williams case! I've, well okay Sandra has, has just had a baby! I honestly do not think that is suitable! The kid who was taken was only a year and a half old!" Gerry protests a couple of hours later. I roll my eyes.

'What's up?' I walk over to where my boys are sitting together. "Do you remember the baby who was kidnapped in 2005?" he asks. 'Yes.' I answer. "Well, Strickland has asked UCOS to re-investigate it." He replies, looking into my eyes. 'That is so insensitive! You'll be fussing over Jess more than ever and it's sure to make you worried about GJ as well!' I say, shocked. "Listen to me, Sandra. I think Strickers wants you and Gerry to get used to investigating this type of case so you won't get upset about it so much." Jack replies.

"Okay... I suppose. It won't change anything though..." Gerry answers. 'Listen, Jessica will be fine. Gerry Junior will be as well okay? The parents of little Katherine Williams left their baby alone for two minutes, tops. Jessica won't be left alone whilst she is little for even that long. I promise, it will be fine, chin up!' I give my fiancé a little pep talk. "Sandra, when did you get in to lifting people's spirits?" Gerry laughs. I grin back. 'Look, you always calm me down and keep my spirits up when I'm down so I thought that would return the favour' I smile. "Aw, thanks. I promise that I won't get too protective of Jess' Gerry replies. 'You're allowed to be very, very protective of our little one until she is fifteen. Then you'll need to be even more protective because she'll start to go out with boys!' I answer. "I'll be protective of you as well! Remember when you went diving? I was worried sick!" Gerry says. 'Yep, that I do! ' I reply.

"Tea is ready! My own special home-made burgers have been grilled!" Gerry calls an hour or so later. 'Okay then, come on Jess, I'll put you in your bouncy chair.' I smile at my baby. tThen I notice something odd. My six week old daughter is smiling back! It's her very first! 'Gerry! Jessica has just smiled at me!' I'm excited. Her bright blue eyes are shining, her little mouth is stretched wide in an adorable smile similar to her father's. "Can I see?" Caitlin rushes over to me. Jessica's smile has dropped by now and she looks a little grumpy. 'She is not a performing sea-lion! She can't smile on command you know!' I protest. "Oh, Sandra, I'm just going to smile at her to see if she does it again! Then I'll go and put her down, I promise!" Caitlin begs me. 'Okay, but be quick about it your dad has announced that dinner is ready!' I say.

"Sandra, I made a playlist on Spotify that you and Dad could perhaps use for your wedding party, if you're having one? Would you like to hear it?" Amelia asks me after we have all had our tea. "Yeah, okay. Have you got some headphones with you or do you want everybody to hear it? Then we can all decide?' I ask. "Yeah, go and get the IPod/IPhone dock. Then we can all have a say" Amelia smile.

"This is perfect for our first dance" says Gerry as "Fearless" by Taylor Swift fills the air. 'Definitely' I reply, kissing him. "Ewww! Stop it you two, you will give Jessica nightmares!" Caitlin protests as she covers Jessica's eyes. "Has anyone ever told you that you can overreact at times?" Gerry asks his daughter good-naturedly.

'Right, I love the songs that you have picked so far but I think that we also need to include "Take A Chance On Me" by ABBA, "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" by Taylor Swift, "All The Lovers" by Kylie Minogue, Songbirds by Eva Cassidy, Everlasting Love by Love Affair and Thunder by Jessie J. What do you think?' I ask. Amelia smiles. "Those songs are amazing and fit you and Dad perfectly!" she says. "You forgot "Roar" by Katy Perry. It's quite a catchy song" says Gerry and begins to sing it, albeit off key. 'Seriously, Gerry! I like that song too but stop singing it out of tune! You've got quite a nice singing voice when you put your mind to it!" Jayne says to him. "Granddad, stop it!" Gerry Junior joins in. Gerry stops singing. "All right, all right! Blimmin 'eck, stop bossing me around!" he protests. 'That's what we're here for, us women!' I wink at him.


	24. Chapter 24-Monday Mornings

Chapter 24-Monday Mornings

'Come on, Gerry! Wakey, wakey! Time for work!' I shake my fiancé awake. "Why?" he asks. 'You have got to go to work, that's why! Come on!' I say. "All right, all right! How long have you been up for?" he asks me. 'Two or three hours. Jess woke me at half four and I didn't go back to sleep. Anyway, I've put your clothes and stuff out in the bathroom, go and have a shower. Don't expect it all the time, I'm not going to go all domestic wife/girlfriend on you! Anyway, get up and go and have a shower'' I answer.

"Bye, Jess ,look after your mummy!" Gerry says. 'I don't need looking after! We'll be fine! Skype me at 9:30, okay?" I say. "Yep, I'll text you if it's any different. I love you" replies Gerry, giving me a kiss.

'You there? Ready to Skype? Xx' I text Gerry at 9:20. "Yep, Brian had a mini-melt down because he lost his calculator! Ok now though xxx" he texts back. "Okey doke, see you in a minute :) xxx" I reply.

'Right, we're all ready'. I prop my Ipad up on a pile of books on the coffee table, hit video call on the screen and sit back with Jess in my arms. 'We're going to see Daddy! And Uncle Brian and Grandpa Jack!' I tell my daughter. "Hi Sandra!" Gerry's face fills the screen. 'Hi! Right, show me the incident board.' I order. "All right, all right! Bossy boots!" Gerry replies. He turns his phone so I can see the incident board. "Right, Katherine, nicknamed Kate, Williams was kidnapped on June 10th, 2005." Says Jack. 'Any suspects?' I ask. "Yes, two, Louise Williams, Kate's aunt, and Sophie Matthews, who was the Williams family's neighbour." says Jack. 'Have either of them got a criminal record?' I ask. "Nope, although the neighbour didn't get on with the family, apparently. Louise is Kate's mum's sister." Replies Brian. 'Okay, re-interview them and see if they remember anything about the day Kate went missing. Gerry, can you bring the case file home with you tonight, please?' I ask him. "Yes Guv!" he replies cheekily.


	25. Chapter 25-Plans and a Talk

Chapter 25- Plans and a Talk

"What do you want for Christmas?" Gerry asks later on, after he's got home and we've had our tea.

I give him a double-take. 'Seriously?! It's only September!" I answer. "well, you know what I'm like when it comes to Christmas presents, I forget and buy them at the last minute." He says. 'I hope my engagement ring wasn't last-minute!' I tease. "No, I had been planning to propose to you for weeks, I was afraid you would say no." he smiles, kissing me. 'Hmm, I would have said no if it was anybody else' I reply. "Don't jilt me on our wedding day though, please! Anyway about Christmas presents, what would you like?" he persists.

'Umm, well, what I'd really like is a dog' I answer. "Seriously? A dog is going to take a lot of looking after, and remember, a dog is for life, not just for Christmas!" Gerry replies, quoting the famous Dog's Trust slogan. 'I know, I know. I'd like a puppy but I feel guilty because so many old dogs are put down in shelters. The thing is, I grew up with a dog, her name was Sally, she was a gorgeous black Labrador. I'd like Jess to grow up with a dog as well.' I answer. "Yeah, I agree with that, it would teach her how to look after and respect animals, there is nothing worse than seeing a toddler pulling a cat or dog's tail" Gerry replies. I nod in agreement. 'Anyway, it's time for Jess to go to bed. And where's our tea? I'm starving!' I say.

"How does it feel to be a Mum?" Gerry asks me later on when we're in bed. I put my Ipad down and turn to look at him. 'What d'you mean?' I answer. "Just tell me, I've just realized that I haven't asked you this before, I've been meaning to but I keep on forgetting" says Gerry. 'Okay, well, when I was pregnant I was worried that Jess wouldn't make it, like my last baby. But when she was born it was... Incredible, I could barely believe she was alive and healthy. Obviously, we bought all her stuff and everything before, but the worry that she was going to die was constantly at the back of my mind. So I consider myself lucky, I never thought I'd get the chance to be a mum again after what happened with James. I know that it's going to be bloody hard work at times, but I hope we're ready for that. As I've said before, you and Jess are the best things that ever happened to me' I reply.

"Aw, obviously I've been a dad before, but when Jess was born it was different. I've always tried to be there for my girls, but at times I couldn't help it when I was at work" Gerry says. 'Yes, we're lucky because our cases aren't pressing like they would be if we were on the Murder Squad, for example. Anyway, I've looked up suitable dog breeds for young children and German Shepherds or Irish Setters seem to be good' I answer.

"Hmm, there's just a big flaw in this whole plan: You shot a dog!" responds Gerry. 'I know, I know, it went on my record but it was an accident, I can still own a dog you know!' I say. "Good, I was slightly worried about that! Anyway, isn't it time for Madam's last feed of the night?" Gerry enquires. 'Yep' I reply, as Jess starts to cry. 'Shh, little one, Mum's here, stop crying, you're not going to grow up a drama queen now are you?' I tell her, lifting her out of her cot. "But you are!" says Gerry as I sit on the bed, Jess in my arms. 'Excuse me! Okay, you're right! I am! Like mother, like daughter, I suppose!' I say.


	26. Chapter 26-Shock

Chapter 26-Shock

The next Friday...

I'm really irritated. Gerry promised to Skype me when he was at work, yet when I texted him to make sure he was ready, and I haven't had a reply yet, it's now half past eleven in the morning and I tried to contact him almost two hours ago.

I ring him up. No reply. I'm getting really worried now so I ring Jack up. He answers almost instantly. "Sandra, what's up?" he asks. 'Well, I'm worried about Gerry. I've Skyped him and he hasn't replied" I say. "Sandra, I have some bad news for you. He's not dead, don't worry! He's in an interview. With your ex-fiancé." Jack replies. I'm so surprised that I almost drop the phone.

'What?! How the hell?! What's happened?' I gasp. "He's a suspect in the kidnap enquiry" replies Jack. 'Oh my God, how? And why?!' I ask. "He came back from Barbados in 2004, and got together with up with the neighbour of the Williams family, Sophie Matthews, remember?" Jack says to me. 'Yes.' I reply. 'And?' I ask.

"Well, on June 10th it was Emil Williams' birthday, so they had a barbecue to celebrate. They invited James and Sophie. Louise, who is the other suspect, is the sister of Emily Williams, Kate's mother, was also there when the little one got taken away. Kate was left I the hall in her buggy whilst her mum nipped the loo. When she came back out, Kate was gone. Sophie , Louise and James were the only other people inside the house at the time. Everybody else was outside, enjoying the sun. " Says Jack.

'Oh, okay. I think that I need some time to take all of this in... Look after Gerry, okay? He hates James' guts and I don't want any violence. Bye, Jack!' I reply. "Bye, Sandra, and you know what? Everything will be all right in the end. I'll keep Gerry in order, don't worry." Jack replies before hanging up.

A/N

I'm sorry it's short! More soon!

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxx


	27. Chapter 27-Comfort

Chapter 27-Comfort

A/N

Trigger warning for this chapter! I'm sorry that it's a bit sad but I thought this would be a good chapter to write :)

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxx

It's almost 7 when Gerry gets home. As soon as I hear the key in the front door, I stand up. Gerry walks into the room. I try to smile. 'Well?' I ask. "He did it. He took that baby away. As soon as I came into the room he began to shout rude, mean things at me. He knows you and I are engaged, he knows about Jess. He told me he wanted to kill you. I couldn't believe it. What have we, what have you ever done to him?! By leaving you, he was the one that made a mistake; he should have supported you after the miscarriage. I would have supported you... I'm so sorry Sandra" he says to me. I can see that he's got tears in his eyes. 'Shh, you have absolutely nothing to be sorry about! You're a great partner, I couldn't ask for better! You're great with Jess, and your other girls! It's okay Gerry, I promise' I say, giving him a hug. He's crying by now. He's never, ever cried in all the time that we've been together, so I know that James has rattled him. A lot.

Eventually, he lets go of me and wipes his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sandra. For crying. If anybody should be crying then it's you." Gerry says to me. 'Hey, it's ok to cry, once in a while' I reply. He nods and smiles, and rubs my arm. 'I'll go upstairs and be with Jess for a bit... I just need to clear my head for a while' I tell him. "Okay, fair enough" he replies.

I go upstairs, lift Jessica out of her cot, place her on Gerry and I's bed, and lie down next to her.

'Well, it's been quite an... interesting day I suppose.' I say to my baby. She looks back at me, frowning slightly. I smile.

'Want to know more, do we? I can see that you're going to be nosey when you're older! Well, before I met your daddy, I was with somebody else, called James. He was a nice person, great personality, great partner... Well, I thought we were going to be together forever until I got pregnant. He was okay for the first couple of months, but then I started to see less of him, he claimed to be at work, but now I realize that he was probably having an affair.' I pause for a moment and then carry on.

' I had really, really bad stomach cramps, I got myself into hospital, and then everything happened, I lost the baby. James refused to even come to the hospital. When I got home a couple of days later, he was waiting for me, his things all packed. He told me he believed that our baby wasn't his, that he thought that I was cheating on him, which I was not. He said that I'd had an abortion because I was too cowardly to tell him the truth. Then he slapped me and walked out on me, I've never seen him since.' I say to Jess. She looks slightly sad. 'I might re-tell all of this to you when you're older, but I don't know of you would want to know. Your dad already knows all of this... I'm so glad that I met you're dad, you and him are so precious to me.' I say. Sitting up and holding Jess close.

I look up to see Gerry standing at the doorway. 'Ear-wigging, were we?' I ask cheekily. He ducks his head and nods. "Why did you tell Jess all of that stuff? It's a bit... weird for a baby to know, right?" he says to me. 'Well, she might want to know... I'm glad that all of this stuff happened before Jess was old enough to go out on her own, she could have got taken away.' I reply. "I agree! I am so glad he was arrested! I wasn't there for the confession though, Strickland pulled me out because I wanted to sock James where it hurt!" Gerry answers.

'I just can't believe it... Why, why would somebody take another's child?' I ask. "Well, Sophie was desperate for a baby, the two hated Kate's parents so they took her" Gerry replies. I put my hands up. 'Ok, ok, I do not want to hear any more on the matter unless it is necessary' I reply. Gerry nods. "Anyway, how about some tea? Are you particularly hungry?" he asks. 'Nah, I think I'll just have some soup, is there any more of that chicken one you made the other day?'I say. "No, but I could make some of your favourite, extra-specially healthy spiced parsnip soup?" he answers. 'Ooh yes, with crusty white bread as well please!' I reply cheekily. "Don't push it!" Gerry laughs jokingly.


	28. Chapter 28-Saturdays

Chapter 28- Saturdays...

A/N

Sorry I haven't updated for ages! To say sorry here is an extra long chapter of my fic! Enjoy!

Oh, and thank you to everyone who's reading this. I've had over 2,000 views on this fic... Thank you guys so much!

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxxxxx

December 2014

"Sandra! Wake up!" Gerry says, shaking me awake. 'Whattt?' I whinge, struggling to open my eyes. I look at the alarm clock. It's 6AM. 'Gerry, Jess isn't due to be fed for another hour, what's up?' I ask. "It's snowing! Look!" he says excitedly. I roll my eyes. 'It's only snow!' I say. "Yeah, but it's the first time that Jess has seen it!" replies Gerry. 'She won't remember it!' I answer. Gerry considers this. "True…" he says. 'See! No need to make such a big deal about ti! Come back to bed!' I order.

It's now eight o'clock; Jess woke us up at 7 on the dot.

'I really cannot be bothered to get up today, I'm tired' I say. "You lazy bum!" replies Gerry. 'Excuse me! I recall having to practically kick you out of bed on Wednesday!' I answer, prodding him. "True" he answers. "We've got to get up at some point, I need to go and get the ingredients for your favourite mince pies!" he continues. 'Yeah… But I don't have to come, do I?' I ask. "Stop being a lazy bum! Why don't we go to that dog shelter you were talking about, I think it's called Beechwood?" Gerry asks me. I brighten up. 'I forgot about that!' I grin. "Well then, get up!" Gerry answers.

A couple of minutes later, the phone starts to ring. Gerry picks it up. "Oh, hello Esther… yeah we're ok thanks… oh, that'll fit in with us… yeah, see you later, bye!" I can hear snatches of conversation.

'What's happened?' I ask when Gerry has finished on the phone. "We're going for lunch at Esther and Brian's." Gerry answers. 'You could have checked with me first! I want to go though' I reply. "How did I guess that you would say that? Anyway, if you want to go to Beechwood we'd better get a move on!" Gerry says. 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. Give me ten more minutes.' I hand Jess to Gerry and snuggle down under the covers.

"No chance, lazy bum! Get up now" Gerry orders. I groan. 'Whyyy? We can always go to Beechwood tomorrow...' I answer. "Get up!" says Gerry. 'Okayy' I stand up as slowly as possible. Gerry nods, satisfied. "That's better. Now get dressed!" he says.

'Gerry! Come on! Stop watching the TV! I am going to the car and strap Jessica up in her car seat, I expect you to be out by the time I have finished!' I say a couple of hours later. "All right, bossy!" Gerry protests.

'Right. We are not going to be taken in by a little puppy's chocolate-brown eyes, we are going to adopt an older dog, okay?" I say to Gerry when we are in the car. "Yep... But wouldn't a puppy be better for Jess? I mean if we adopt an old dog, Jess grows up and he or she dies when Jess is, say, 5, it might be difficult for her to cope with, maybe?" Gerry replies.

'True… Anyway, let's just see what's what first shall we? We're here now." I say as we draw up near the shelter.

"Sandra! Come and look at these two! They are so cute!" Gerry says half an hour later. We are now in the shelter, there are dogs in enclosures on either side of Gerry, Jess, and I. Basically, it is cuteness heaven!

I walk over to Gerry. Two Alsatians are looking up at him, tails wagging. 'Aww, they are quite sweet, but remember, we're meant to be looking for older dogs!' I remind him.

After a while, I come across a Labrador curled at in the corner of their cage. 'Aww, hello little one.' I say, crouching down so that I'm not intimidating them. 'So... Your name is... Bella' I read off the card clipped to one of the bars of the enclosure.

"Aww, she's cute" I hear Gerry remark behind me. I smile. 'She is. Help us up, would you, please?' Gerry pulls me up. 'She looks sad... Bella? Bella?' I call to her. She gets up and slowly walks towards us. I reach through the bars and gently pet her on the head. She closes her eyes, I think she likes it!

"I see you've made a friend there" Gerry and I turn around to see one of the shelter staff. "I'm Lauren. I see you've met Bella. That's the first time she's showed any interest in anyone since she came here." She says. "Aww, how did she come to be here? I can't believe that somebody would want to give her away!" says Gerry.

"Well, her previous owner died, and her daughter brought Bella to us" Lauren answers. "Didn't the daughter want Bella, surely?" enquires Gerry. "No, she's allergic to dogs. And Bella has a friend." Lauren gestures to the dog in the next enclosure, a little Border Terrier. "This is Lucky, he lived with Bella and her owner. The owner's daughter insisted that they had to be re-homed together." Lauren replies.

'Oh... okay.' I was going to ask if we could take Bella out for a walk to get to know her a bit, but now I'm not so sure. 'Could we step outside for a minute?' I ask Gerry. He frowns and nods. I navigate Jess' buggy towards the door. Gerry follows me out.

'I'd like to adopt Bella and Lucky.' I tell Gerry. "Are you serious?" Gerry looks happy. 'I presume that you are in agreement?' I ask. "Yeah, I mean Bella seems a sweet dog, and when I said hello to Lucky his tail was wagging like mad!" he answers. 'Okay, do you think we should ask to talk the out for a walk? We could get to know them a bit and see if they are okay for us.' Are you absolutely sure that you believe these are the perfect dogs for us? I mean, we've only just met them...' I ask.

"Look, we'll take things slowly, okay? No rushing into things." Says Gerry. 'Okay, then, let's go and take Lucky and Bella for walkies!'


	29. Chapter 29-Perfect Pets?

Chapter 29- Perfect Pets?

'Come on Lucky.' I tug at the little dog's lead gently. Obstinately, he stays where he is and gazes towards where Gerry is clipping Bella's lead onto her collar. 'Ah, you're worried about going without your friend? Don't worry, she's coming too, I promise!' I smile.

"Er, Sandra? How are we going to do this? We have two dogs and a buggy... How are we going to hold them all?" Gerry asks me. I roll my eyes. 'Oh yeah...Well I guess one of us could push Jess and the other one could hold Bella and Lucky's leads?' I ask. "Okay." Gerry says. I hand him Lucky's lead and we set off.

'They're actually really well behaved." Gerry remarks later on as we sit down for a rest. 'They are.' I nod in agreement as I reach down to stroke Bella. She leans against my leg and places her paw on my boot. 'Bella! That hurts!' I protest. "Sandra, it's cute! Stop being such a drama queen! Anyway, are we going to adopt them or not?" he asks.

'Well, I think that we've made the right decision. So, yes.' I answer. 'What do you think, Jess?' I ask my daughter. She smiles back at me. 'I think that's a yes!' I grin. Gerry smiles. "D'you want to go back to the shelter, sign the forms, and take the dogs home now?" Gerry answers.

'No,' I reply, looking at my watch. 'It's 12.30 already; we're due to be at Brian and Esther's at one. We'll come back later, yeah?' I reply. "Sounds good. Let's take 'em back then." Says Gerry, standing up. "Come on Toby!" he continues, whistling at the little dog. He then begins to jog down the road with Lucky in tow. 'That's not fair! You know that I can't risk running with the buggy and a dog!; I yell at him. He stops, turns round and grins at me. "Spoilsport!" he chides.

'Bye Bella, bye Lucky. We will be back for you both, I promise!' I smile at the two dogs. "See you later!" smiles Lauren. 'Bye, we'll be back at about four' I answer.

"Should we bring Jessica's car seat in or not? For her to sit in, I mean?" Gerry asks. I roll my eyes. 'I know it's for Jess to seat in, and no we don't need to. She's trying to crawl now, and when we visited the doctor's for her check-up, and she said that we need to encourage it.' I reply. "I can't believe she's 5 months old already! She's growing up." Gerry says. 'Just wait till her first day at school! Before that, though, we've got to potty train her, teach her to walk, talk. Anyway, let's concentrate on the here and now.' I reply as Jess starts to cry. "I'll bring her in, you go ahead. Come on, madam!" says Gerry.

I ring Brian and Esther's doorbell. Brian answers, accompanied by a very enthusiastic dog. All I can see of Scampi is a constantly wriggling, moving ball of large fur. "Hello, Sandra. Come in, where's Gerry?" Brian greets me with a smile. 'Hi, Brian, Gerry's just getting Madam out of the car. She's inherited my talent for being a drama queen.' I reply with a grin. "Ah, that, I understand!" he says, letting go of Scampi's collar. Immediately, the spaniel is jumping up at me, nearly knocking my off my feet! 'Scampi, bad dog, down!' I scold him.

Esther walks into the hall, her face lighting up. "Hi, Sandra. Where's Jess?" she asks me. 'How did I know you were going to say that?' I ask, turning around. Gerry is standing in the doorway, looking grumpy. "Can I come in?" he enquires grumpily. 'Oops, didn't see you there. Come here, Jess.' I say as Gerry passes our daughter to me. She's straining towards Esther. 'Er, 'scuse, me, Madam but I do happen to be your mum! There you go Esther' I say, handing Jess to her.

"So what have you three been up to today?" Esther asks us when we're in the sitting room after we've had our lunch. Jess has just woken up from a nap, she's having a cuddle with Esther.

'Well, we went to BeechWood dog shelter and... We're going to adopt two dogs, Bella and Lucky!' I grin. "Bloody hell, I never thought you'd adopt dogs! I swear that, since having Jess and getting engaged, you've had a personality transplant, Sandra!" says Brian. "Calm down! She's become a mother, that's all. Us women do change you know!" Esther answers him. "And don't we know it! Esther, I think Jess wants to go on the floor, she looks a wee bit grumpy" Gerry adds. Jessica is staring intently at Scampi, who for once is quiet in his basket. "Okay, then. There you go, little one." Esther says, placing Jess on the floor.

Jess attempts to crawl over to Scampi, but keeps falling over. She looks at me as if to say: "Well? Are you going to help me or not?" I smile and pull her back onto my knee. 'Do you want to say hello to Scampi? Okay, Scampi, come here.' He does. 'Now, sit!' I order him. He sits, much to my surprise.

I slip off the sofa and sit cross-legged on the floor, Jess in my arms. 'Come here Scampi.' I say. He come and sits in front of Jess and I. He sniffs Jess's face, much to her surpise. "Og! Og!" she keeps repeating to me. 'Yes, og! Well, it's dog, really but it's a start!' I say to her. "She called you um, the other day, didn't she? I'm "A"" adds Gerry.

As I position myself and jess back onto the sofa, Esther asks Brian what Mark's first word was. Unsurprisingly, he cannot remember! Esther rolls her eyes and tuts at him.

"Are you going to be feeding Jess onto solid food soon? " Esther asks me. 'Yup, probably after Christmas. I'll tell you something though; I hate the smell of baby food! It turns my stomach, so after we've have completely weaned her off breast milk, feeding Jess will be Gerry's job.' I reply, turning towards Gerry to clock his reaction. He looks shocked. "Nobody told me that!" he says. 'Ha! Well I just have!' I reply cheekily.

I look at my watch. 'It's quarter to four, Gerry. We'd better go collect Bella and Lucky.' I tell him, my stomach flipping over with nerves.


	30. Chapter 30-Early Mornings

Chapter 30-Early Mornings

A couple of weeks later...

It's the Sunday before Christmas, and to say that I'm excited is an understatement!

I wake up early; it's become a habit since we've adopted Lucky and Bella.

I lay in bed for a while, thinking. I've bought Jess a dress with "It's My 1st Christmas!" on it and a couple of other bits and pieces for Christmas, but I've yet to buy something for Gerry. We're going Christmas shopping in London tomorrow, along with his girls, exes, Brian, Jack and Esther.

I've been thinking of buying Gerry a watch; his stopped a couple of weeks ago. Apart from that, I have no idea. A cookbook? He needs some new shirts. And ties. He still has about 3 from when we first started UCOS!

Ok, so ties, shirts, and a watch. That's it. Hmm. I shall have to have a word with Caitlin.

I get up and walk over to Jess's cot. She gives me a big smile. I grin back and lift her up gently.

With Jessica in my arms, I walk into her nursery. We're planning on moving her into this room soon, it's not quite fully finished yet. The last thing to go in is the collage that Esther gave us after Jess was born, we add pictures to it all the time.

'Once you've had your morning feed and I've eaten my breakfast, we'll go out for a walk with Bella and Lucky, okay?'I ask Jess. Obviously, she can't answer yet, but she smiles. 'I take that as a yes, then? Soon you'll be answering back for yourself, going out with boys, staying, out late... You'll be as cheeky as I was, I suppose!' I laugh.

'Anyway, let's go downstairs.' I continue, walking out onto the landing. Bella is laying at the bottom of the stairs, snoring away. 'Oi! Shut up, you daft dog!' I shout, heading downstairs. Bella jumps up and wags her tail. Lucky rushes out of his bed in the front room into the hall, tail wagging. 'Morning, you pair, yes you can have your breakfast in a minute!' I tell them.

'Right. Are you lot ready for walkies?' I ask half an hour later. The dogs wag their tails and look at me expectantly. Jess looks at the front door. Jess and the dogs have all been fed and I've had an apple.

'I take that as a yes, then!' I smile, before going upstairs to see if Gerry's woken up.

I knock on our bedroom door. 'Gerry? You awake?' I ask, opening the door. He's still snoring away.

I leave him a note which reads: 'Don't panic, I've taken the dogs and Jess out for a walk. Only had some fruit for breakfast so I'm expecting a nice bowl of porridge ( I know it's unhealthy but it's yummy!) when I get home! Love you, see you soon. S, J, and the dogs xxxx.'

'Right, let's get going then.' I tell my three as I clip Bella's lead on and place Jess in her buggy.

I walk through the front door and close it.

I make my way to the local park, stopping every now and then to let Lucky or Bella sniff at the odd lamp-post.

The walk takes about ten minutes. It usually takes about three, but as I've got a baby and two dogs, people keep stopping me and asking how old is Jess, what her name is etc. And there's the people with other dogs. Lucky is quite shy and hides behind me, Bella is the total opposite, she is confident and walks up to other dogs quite happily.

As soon as I walk through the park gates, the dogs stop suddenly and look at me expectantly. 'Let me guess. You want to play fetch?' I laugh, getting two tennis balls out of my pockets. I throw them both as far as I can, but not far enough so that they are out of sight, I don't want my dogs running off. I walk over to a bench and sit down, un-strapping Jess from her buggy, holding her close.

'How's my little girl today? I hope you're okay, because your daddy's exes, daughters, Uncle Brian, Granddad Jack and Auntie Esther are coming round for lunch. And after that we're going to Granny's for tea. Of course, we'd usually go round to Granny's on a Monday, but tomorrow we're going shopping.' I say to her.

'I hope you're looking forward to that, and-' I'm cut off because a hand taps on my shoulder. It's Brian.

"Morning, Sandra. These two came up to my Scampi and started to play tug of war wi' him, " Brian informs me. "So I reckoned that you might be here, somewhere." He continues.

'That's all right.' I reply. 'How are you?' I ask. "All right, I suppose. Esther's got something for little Jess for Christmas, she'll bring it over today if that's all right?" Brian enquires. I smile and nod.

"And, as for your presents, she has got you something but it will be announced on Christmas day. How's your little 'un?" Brian asks me.

'She's fine, she was a little ill last week but she's ok now.' I answer, handing Jess to Brian. He looks slightly surprised. "Er... 'Ello Jessica." He says to my daughter. I suppress a smile, manage to grab a stick out of an unsuspecting Scampi's mouth, and throw it behind be. All three dogs go hurtling after it.


	31. Chapter 31-Chats and Breakfasts

Chapter 31- Chats and Breakfasts

'Gerry! I'm home!' I call, opening the front door.

"I was beginning to wonder where you'd got to!" Gerry greets me. 'I did leave a note!' I reply, un-snapping Jess from her buggy and handing her to Gerry. "I'll go and put this little lady on her play mat in the living room, okay?" Gerry says to me.

'Okey doke' I answer, unclipping Bella's lead. She springs free happily and follows Gerry into the lounge.

I fold Jess's buggy up, take my coat and scarf off, hang them up and go into the living room.

"Breakfast in ten minutes, just as you ordered!" Gerry calls from the kitchen.

'Okay' I call back, sitting down on the floor next to Jess. I get my Ipad from the coffee table and unlock it.

I check Facebook. Caitlin's messaged me to ask me when she can come round.

'Gerry! Your daughter wants to come round early! And I'm not talking about Jess, I'm talking about Cait!' I call.

"Yeah, I suppose." Gerry calls back.

"Your breakfast is ready" Gerry says to me five minutes later.

I get up, lift Jess up and carry her into the kitchen. I place her into her hight chair, Gerru hands me a steaming bowl of porridge.

"I don't understand how you can eat porridge, I hate the stuff!" Gerry says, making a face. 'I love it! It reminds me of my childhood, my Dad used to make it for me.' I answer, reaching for the sugar bowl and spooning it over my porridge.

"Okay, each to their own I suppose.' Gerry answers, sitting down with a bowl of cornflakes.

As we eat, Gerry and I discuss our plans for tomorrow.

"Why don't we go and get our wedding rings done?" Gerry asks me.

'What d'you mean, "done"?' I ask, confused. 'I mean, we've already picked ours, they're due to be delivered after Christmas, aren't they? Then Jack, who's going to be your best man, is going to look after them, right?' I continue.

"Yeah, but I've found something to make ours even more special. In the inside of each other's ring, we can have each other's fingerprints. For example, you can have mine in yours. D'you want to have it done or not?" Gerry asks me.

I'm besotted by the idea. 'Yes! It's perfect!' I reply, smiling.

Gerry smiles back at me. "I knew you'd love it! It was Caitlin's idea" he answers, just as there's a knock on the door. 'That'll be her now.' I say, finishing my breakfast, dumping the bow in the sink and going to the front door.

I open the door. "Hi, Sandra!" smiles Caitlin. 'Hello, come in' I smile. She does so, I walk into the hall.

She takes off her coat and turns to me. "Where's Jessica?" she asks me. "Oi, what about me?" Gerry says, coming out of the kitchen to greet her. "Just joking! Hi Dad" says Caitlin, giving Gerry a hug.

I go into the kitchen and get Jess from her chair.

I go and sit on the sofa, Jess in my arms, and Lucky makes himself comfy nest to me.

"Right. Today we are going to get down to some serious wedding planning!" says Caitlin.

"Er, okay, I'll make meself scarce!" says Gerry, getting up and attempting to get away.

'Oh no you don't!' I catch his arm with my free hand and pull him down beside me. He grumbles under his breath. 'It's your wedding too! Now, Cait, what would you like to talk about?' I smile at her.

"Well… Number one;Dad, have you asked Sandra about the rings?" Caitlin asks me. "Yes, I have, she's thrilled with the idea." Gerry smiles at me and squeezing my hand.

"Number two, your first dance. I was listening to "RED", Taylor Swift's album, and the song "Everything Has Changed" seems to be a good choice. What do you two think?" Caitlin asks us.

"Yeah, that song is perfect!" Gerry smiles. 'I agree, the music video is adorable too! I can make up CD of these tracks, probably.' I chip in. "It's okay, Sandra, I'll do it. Now for bridesmaids, have you got anybody particular in mind?" Caitlin enquires with a cheeky twinkle in her eye, much like her father's.

'You, Paula, Amelia, and Emily, of course!' I answer. Caitlin brightens up considerably. "Really?" she asks.

I grin. 'Of course, I wouldn't want anybody else.' I reply.

"Another thing: Who's going to look after the rings?" Caitlin says.

"Brian is, he's going to be my best man. And don't worry, I know for a fact that Esther won't let him lose them!" says Gerry.

Caitlin smiles and nods "Ah okay. Who, if anyone, is walking you down the aisle, Sandra?" she addresses me.

'Jack. I'm going to ask him today.' I reply. "And if I know him, he'll jump at the chance. He loves Sandra to bits. He must be mad." Gerry chips in cheekily.

'Er, excuse me! Cheeky! You love me to bits so that makes you mad as well! Anything else, Caitlin?'I inquire.

"Yes, one thing. Your wedding dress. Dad, I think you should go upstairs or something for a while." Answers Caitlin. "Sandra, d'you want me to put Jess in her cot for a while? She can have a rest before everybody else comes?" Gerry asks me.

'Yeah, okey doke' I stand up and pass Jess to Gerry.

"Right" says Caitlin after Gerry and my daughter have gone upstairs."What colour dress d'you want?" she asks. 'Er... I really would like a white dress but I suppose it's not appropriate and I'm too old. Cream maybe?' I say.

"Yeah, that sounds good. It suits your hair colour and skin tone." Caitlin replies.

'We're going to get down to business now. We've already booked the church for July 20th, 2015, as you know. We'll go into that shop, that we went into last time, "Save The Date". Then we could look at some possible dresses and make a list.' I muse.

"You are spending too much time with Brian Lane!" laughs Caitlin. 'I guess that I am! Still, it's better to be organised! It's all the time I've spent at work I suppose.' I reply.


	32. Chapter 32-Mysteries and Cheekiness

Chapter 32-Mysteries and Cheekiness

'Does everyone have to come round?' I ask Gerry half an hour later.

"What d'you mean? You like Sundays" Gerry replies.

'Well, I'd just rather stay with you.' I smile, snuggling up to him.

"Aww bless you, I don't think that early starts are quite your thing, are they?" he asks, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

'Hmm... I don't mind early starts... Much' I reply.

"You do mind them!" Gerry protests.

'I don't!' I argue back childishly. 'I just haven't had enough sleep recently because Jess has been unwell!' I continue.

"Sandra, Jess's nappy needs changing, d'you want me to do it?" Caitlin offers. I open my eyes relucntantly. 'If you wouldn't mind... I can do it if you'd like' I reply.

She smiles at me. "It's ok, you need a break once in a while. Mum's just texted me to say that she's coming, the rest are likely to follow." She informs me.

'Okay, we have some serious tidying up to do...' I survey the living room.

Dog toys are scattered around, Jessica's teddy seems to be stuffed under the sofa, (courtesy of Bella, hoarder extraordinaire) and Lucky's chew toy has somehow ended up in the TV cabinet.

Half an hour later, there's a knock on the door.

"Here comes the Cavalry!" says Caitlin, handing Jess to me and letting everybody in.

All eyes are on me. Or, rather, Jess. Everyone, as per usual, are desperate to give her a cuddle. I roll my eyes, smile and ask: 'Right, who wants a cuddle with Jessica?' I ask.

"Me!" says Gerry Junior, shoving past his relatives. He gazes at me, wide eyed. "Pleeease?" he begs.

"Oi, I should get first pick! I'm older than you!" protests Paula good-naturedly.

"How about me? I'm her honary grandfather!" Jack adds, in mock anger.

'Go and sit on the sofa then, GJ.' I smile at the little boy.

Jack pretends to be angry. 'You will all get your turn later.' I say to pacify him, following little Gerry into the sitting room. The others hang the scarves, coats etc up and follow suit.

I slip Jessica onto GJ's lap gently. 'Now be careful! Hold her steady and if she wets her nappy, just tell me or you granddad, okay?' I ask him. He nods.

"So, how are you, Sandra?" Jayne asks me, making herself comfortable on the sofa next to her grandson. Her hair is slightly hay-wire. She looks tired. No wonder, GJ went round to her house for a sleepover a few days ago and wasn't on his best behaviour, so I've been told.

As I've learnt, Jayne isn't to be messed with. She's a very protective granny to GJ, when Gerry and I first got together, she wasn't happy. Eventually, though, she learnt to accept me. When I get angry with Gerry, she's the one who usually offers me advice.

"I'm okay thank you!" GJ pipes up. "I wasn't asking you! Cheeky! Your name isn't Sandra!" she says to him in mock anger.

I sit down opposite her, Bella springs onto my lap. 'Excuse me! I didn't give you permission!' I scold her.

'Yes Jayne, I'm okay, thanks. Jess was ill last week with a mild cold, I was up all hours trying to get her to sleep. But she's okay, now. The dogs have taken to living here like ducks to water, surprisingly.' I say, ruffling Bella's silky fur.

"Good. When I called Gerry last week, he mentioned that she wasn't her usual self." Jayne smiles.

"Mum! Can you come here please?" calls Caitlin, looking panicky. Jayne looks confused.

Emily mouths something to Jayne and suddenly she understands. "Okay..." she answers, going over to Emily.

I can smell dinner; I suppose that it's nearly ready. But, I'm very curious about what Caitlin, Emily, and Jayne are discussing.

I take Jessica from Gerry Junior and make my way into the kitchen.

Gerry is serving up, he opens his mouth to call us all to come to the table but then he sees me.

'What are your exes and daughters discussing?' I ask, deciding to get straight to the point.

He looks very, very panicky. "Er... I'm not sure..." he answers.

'You, Jack, and Brian are the worst liars. Ever. In the history of everything. You know perfectly well what they are talking about. Spill.' I command.

"Er... You'll have to wait till Christmas day, I've been sworn to secrecy. Carole has threatened to kill me if I even hint at what's happening." Gerry replies.

'Okay.' I sigh. I'll have to be content with that, I guess.

Gerry calls everybody to the table and we have our dinner.


	33. Chapter 33-Visiting Granny

Chapter 33- Visiting Granny

A couple of hours later...

'Gerry, I'll out Jess in her car seat, could you lock up please? Does my hair look okay?' I ask.

We're just about to step out of the door in order to go and visit my mum, as usual I'm a bag of nerves.

"Sandra, you look gorgeous as always. Yes, I'll lock up." Gerry smiles at me.

He passes Jess to me and my daughter and I make our way out to the car.

I place Jessica in her car seat, get into the driver's seat of my Audi and try to wait patiently for my fiancé.

Eventually, Gerry comes out of the house and slides into the passenger seat next to me.

"Are we all set?" he asks.

'Yeah. Are you sure that Jess and I look presentable?' I worry.

"Sandra! You both look fine!" Gerry answers.

'Okay, if you're sure...' I say, starting the engine up.

We draw up at the care home 20 minutes later.

I get out of the car, get Jessica out and make my way to the entrance. Gerry follows.

As I'm walking up the stairs to my Mother's room, Jess starts to cry, quietly.

'Sssh, we don't want Granny thinking that I've upset you.' I tell her.

"You never know, you might have done!" Gerry replies, ginning cheekily as we get to the top of the stairs.

I glare at him. 'That isn't helping. At all.' I answer as I knock on the door to my Mother's room.

She opens it and smiles at us. "Come in" she says.

I make my way across the large room and make myself comfy on the sofa. A moment later, Gerry joins me.

This room that mum has is nice, I suppose. Besides this sitting room she has a small bedroom and an en-suite bathroom.

Mum sits opposite us.

"Can I hold Jess?" she asks.

"Of course you can" Gerry says, handing Jessica to her.

'Er, so how are you, Mum?' I ask, trying to make conversation.

"I am all right, thank you. Jessica looks happy" Mum answers, smiling at her granddaughter.

'Oh, Jess, please behave yourself. Don't burst out crying' I mutter under my breath.

'Yeah, she is. She wasn't so well last week, but she's fighting fit now.' I answer.

Mum looks alarmed. "What was up with her?" she asks.

'She had a cold. Don't worry Mum, we went to the doctors to get her checked out and they said that it was nothing to worry about.' I reply.

She smiles. "Good. She's a fighter, just like her mother." She says.

"See, she's not so bad after all." Gerry whispers to me.

I scowl at him. 'I know she isn't. She's not the Wicked Witch of the West!' I answer.

"What was that?" Mum's head snaps up.

'Er, nothing. Actually, Mum, I've got something to ask you.' I reply.

"Yes?" she asks, looking suspicious. Oh God. I hope that she's not angry.

'We'd like you to spend Christmas with us. You see, Gerry's exes and daughters, Jack, Brian and Esther are coming over as usual. Look, I know that we usually come over for dinner but we'd like you to come over,' I tell her.

'I know that you don't approve of Gerry's relationship with his exes, but as of next year you're practically going to be family.' I continue.

My mother looks extremely shocked by my request. Gerry looks the same. "You didn't tell me about this!" he tells me.

'Please, Mum. I think you'd enjoy yourself.' I beg.

"All right then... But, if I am not happy, I shall come back here again." Mum replies.

I suppose we'll have to be content with that. Gerry had better warn the exes to be on their best behaviour!

'Okay, I think that we can live with that.' I smile.

"Good." Mum looks at her watch. "I think it's almost time for dinner, and" she wrinkles her nose. "I think Jessica's nappy needs changing!"


	34. Chapter 34-Dogs, Hugs, and Breakfast

Chapter 34-Dogs, Hugs, and Breakfast

The next day, I'm woken up by something sniffing my ear.

I open my eyes and Lucky is staring back at me.

'Morning, cheeky. Where's Bella?' I enquire.

My question is answered by a scratching at the door. 'Go back to bed, Bella! If you didn't come up with your friend before the door shut, it's your own fault!' I tell her. She whines, a second later I can hear her padding down the stairs.

Lucky makes himself comfy on the covers next to me.

I give him a fuss, and suddenly realize that Gerry isn't snoring beside me. He must have gone downstairs, I think.

'Come on, little man. Let's go and see where Gerry is.' I say.

I carry him down the stairs.

Gerry isn't in the lounge, conservatory, or kitchen. He's not in the garden having a cigarette, either. Odd.

I make my way back upstairs to see if he's in Jessica's room.

I'm just about to go in when I hear Gerry talking.

"Yes, Jessica. Your mum can be a pain in the bum, but she's my pain in the bum, if you get my meaning. I love her to bits. I love you, too, don't worry." He says.

I smile at this and knock on the door. Gerry opens it.

"'Ow long have you been listening?" he asks, looking bashful.

'Not long.' I answer, taking Jessica from him. Gerry smiles and gives me a kiss. "All that stuff was true, I'm not kidding!" he continues, wrapping his arms around my waist.

'Steady on, stop being sentimental! Have you taken the dogs out?' I ask.

"Yeah, only for a short walk, though. It's a bit chilly." Gerry replies.

'Thank you. you could have woken me up, you know. I could have taken them out.' I answer. "You looked too peaceful to disturb." Gerry answers.

'Well, the other day you said that I snore!' I reply. 'I'm confused now! Do I snore or not?' I continue.

"You do, but it's cute" Gerry answers.

I roll my eyes at his soppiness and go and sit on the window seat. Gerry joins me.

"Are you looking forward to today?" he asks me. I smile. 'Of course I am! You know how much I love shopping.' I tell him. Gerry rolls his eyes. "I don't! I think I'll take Gerry Junior off somewhere, there's a Christmas market on somewhere in London, I think." He answers.

'Well, I'll come as well, just to have a look. You'll enjoy yourself, I promise! You'll be with me!' I reply.

"That makes it a thousand times better" Gerry answers, giving me a kiss. 'You soppy person.' I answer. 'Anyway, we'd better be getting up and dressed, it's 8.30 already!' I say.

"But it's snowing." Gerry points out. 'Yes, well-observed, Gerry. That gives us all the more reason to get out whilst it's not too bad! Imagine being outside in London in a blizzard! I'm not saying that it'll be that bad but we need to get on!" I reply.

I feed Jess, then get dressed. Bella is waiting at the bottom of the stairs for me.

'Morning! You had your breakfast?' I ask rubbing the Lab's ear. At this, her tail wags even faster.

"No they haven't!" Gerry calls down. 'That's mean! Come on, you two, I'll get you something to eat.' I tell my dogs.

I place Jess in her high chair and get the dog food from the cupboard. Bella starts to whine. 'Oi, quiet!' I scold her.

'Right. There you go. Don't gulp it down.' I place Lucky and Bella's food bowl on the floor. They stand up from their sitting positions and begin to eat.

I pour myself some cereal and sit down at the kitchen table.

"Sandra, you need a bigger breakfast than that! Cereal won't fill you up!" Gerry scolds me, walking into the kitchen.

I turn to face him. 'Excuse me. Often when we're late for work all you have to eat for breakfast is a slice of toast!' I shoot back.

Gerry nods. "Fair enough. I'm still making you some toast!" he replies.

After we've had our breakfast, I take a look at the clock. 'It's 9:30, time to go. I'll get my coat.' I say getting up. "Can you get mine, too?' Gerry asks cheekily. I roll my eyes. 'Fine!' I answer.

Eventually, at quarter to 10, we're ready to go.

'Bye, you two. Be good and guard the house.' I tell Bella and Lucky. "Guard the house? If someone broke in these two would just wag their tails and check for dog biscuits in their pockets. Not attack them or anything!" Gerry answers. 'I suppose! Bye you two!' I smile. Gerry opens the front door for me in order to wheel Jessica's buggy out of the front door.

We make our way to the tube station, Gerry buys me a hot chocolate and himself a coffee along the way.

The train journey doesn't take long. Gerry and I make our way out of the station into central London.


	35. Chapter 35-Christms Shopping

Chapter 35-Christmas Shopping

"I love London" I smile as Gerry and I make our way to the place where we're going to meet the others. Gerry wrinkles his nose. "It's a bit noisy and busy for me" he answers. 'You daft old man!' I tease, poking him.

"I'm not that old!" he protests, poking me back. 'Are' I answer childishly. "Sandra Pullman, stop acting like a child!" Gerry replies. 'Well, seeing as I'm a parent, I think I'm allowed to act like a child' I answer, just to wind him up.

Gerry looks at me, shocked. "Really?" he asks. 'No, I was kidding!' I reply.

"Sandra, Dad! Over here!" I hear someone call."There's Caitlin" Gerry gestures across the road. I recognize Caitlin, waving wildly.

'No need to shout!' I scold her once we've crossed the road. "Sorry. So what's the plan for today, then?" Caitlin asks. 'I want to do a bit of Christmas shopping, I need your advice regarding what to get your Dad' I whisper in her ear. She nods.

Gerry hasn't noticed, thankfully. "There's Brian, Esther, and Jack" he says, waving them over. He then turns to us. "Where's the others?" he asks. "Mum and the other exes are on their way, when I rang Paula just now she said that she was on her way with GJ in tow, Emily's with her as well. I rang Amelia, she'll meet us later." Informs Caitlin. 'I swear that you are the most organized out of all your sisters!' I reply.

"Hello" Esther greets us with a smile. Hi Esther, Brian. What's up with you, grumpy?' I ask Jack. He sniffs. "I've got a slight cold, that's all." He answers. "Cheer up, it's Christmas soon!" Brian tells him.

Jack looks like he wants to murder Gerry. Oh dear, he really is not happy. "There's a Christmas market on by the London Eye, I looked it up last night. Why don't we go and have a look round?" Esther asks. 'That sounds good' I smile.

'Gerry, can you push Jess's buggy for a while?' I ask him. "Er, okay. Are you all right?" he replies. 'Yeah, I'm just going to have a word with Brian, make sure he doesn't irritate Jack too much!' I answer.

'Brian, please don't annoy Jack too much! You know what he's like!' I warn. Brian looks guilty. "Eh, sorry, Sandra." He apologises.

'Thank you.' I smile gratefully.

"Sandra, d'you want to have a look in Hamley's?" Caitlin asks half an hour later. "Er, I don't like the people in animal costumes" Brian replies, edging away from a giant Hello Kitty.

'I thought that you didn't like cats in general!' I joke. "I don't fancy fighting my way through the crowds, either. Brian and I'll go on, see you in about an hour?" Jack requests. 'Okay.' I smile.

To say that Hamley's is crowded is an understatement! Gerry has stayed outside with Jessica's buggy, Caitlin now has my daughter in her arms.

'Are you okay, little one?' I ask Jess as we make our way up the stairs. "I'm alright, thank you!" Caitlin replies. 'I wasn't asking you! Jessica seems to be happy enough. I reply.

"I need to get something for GJ for his Christmas present..." Caitlin muses half an hour later. I am laden with toys: a remote control helicopter for GJ, 3 Christmas-themed baby grows for Jess, a teddy bear (for myself. He's dressed in a little London Guards. I could not resist!) and I also Blue-nosed friend for Caitlin. She loves anything Tatty Teddy related!

'Well, he's into Lego and things at the moment, isn't he? I can't believe that he's in year 7 now!' I reply. "Okay then. Yeah, I agree. It's gone so fast!" smiles Cait.

Once GJ's present has been purchased, we make our way out of the store, which is easier said than done!

'Right. First things first, where is Gerry?' I ask myself. Caitlin overhears this. "I'll text him. Er, actually, I'll ring him up." Caitlin replies, handing Jessica to me.

"Dad? Where are you? Oh! Right, okay... you're with Mum, right? Yeah, Sandra and Jess are fine... no, I won't tell her! Okay, bye, see you in a minute!" Caitlin has a brief conversation with her Dad.

"Dad and the others are meeting us at the Christmas Market he was on about the other day, Esther wanted to go, apparently." Cait informs me.

'Ah okay. Could you do me a favour? If I carry Jess, could you carry all our bags? We really should have brought her buggy in with us!' I say.

15 minutes later...

"Gerry, you have to buy this for Sandra! She will love them!" Carole drags Gerry over to a stall which sells soaps and bubble bath. Gerry looks at me. "Sandra, do you like this sort of stuff?" he asks, totally confused. 'Yes! You clearly have not spent enough time with me in Boots! And the Body Shop!' I answer.

"I spend hours with you in there!" Gerry protests. 'You spend most of your time on your phone or minding Jessica!' I reply, checking the price of a rose-shaped soap.

"There is not much for me to do in there." Gerry answers meekly. 'I suppose! Right, which stall shall we go to next?' I ask.

"Here, I'll buy you something." Gerry smiles at me. I choose a lavender-scented soap and bubble bath.

"Well... there's one which sells toy trains..." Brian says hopefully. 'No!' I answer firmly. Brian hurries away, ignoring my orders. Gerry and Jack follow, looking excited. They are worse than kids in a candy store! I roll my eyes. 'I swear that going anywhere with Brian takes willpower...' I mutter.

'Right,' I turn to Gerry's exes and daughters. 'What do I get Gerry for Christmas?' I beg. "Cookbook?" "Cigars?" "An apron?" "A set of cake-baking things?" the suggestions come flying at me at speed.

"Hmm... I bought him a cookbook last year... Apron and cake baking stuff sounds good...' I muse.

"I have just noticed a stall which sells that sort of thing. D'you want to have a look?" asks Esther. 'Okay. ' I reply, wheeling Jessica's buggy over as she leads the way.

"Mum, did you go to the travel shop and get everything sorted?" Caitlin asks Jayne. "We did!" says Gerry Junior. Paula frowns at him. "Shush, Gerry!" she scolds.

'D'you know what they are all talking about?' I ask Esther. "Er, you'll find out on Christmas day." Is all I can get from her. Hmm. I wonder what it is?


	36. Chapter 36-Evening

Chapter 36-Evening

A/N

Guys I'm really sorry that I'm not updating much anymore. I'm finding Year 11 difficult! Often when I come home from school all I want to do is chill, and when I want to sit down and write I get stuck. Happily I'm on a good streak today! Hopefully there will be more soon!

Oh and thank you for 3,000+ views on this fic! It means the world to me!

Reviews welcome,

Laura xxx

It's been very productive day. I have bought Christmas presents for almost everyone, and I have chosen my wedding dress! It's not too fancy and not too plain, I saw it in a bridal shop the girls and I visited today and I just had to try it on. A couple of adjustments have to be made , but overall it's perfect. Paula and Emily have chosen their bridesmaid dresses but the others have yet to choose.

'I am so glad to be home.' I comment, flopping onto the sofa. "Oi! Aren't you going to help me unpack?" Gerry looks put out. 'No. I don't want to unpack anything that I shouldn't!' I know for a fact that he's bought me something, when we were out he kept talking to Paula so I know that something is up!

"Don't assume that you've got anything at all for Christmas at all!" gerry teases, getting a sleeping Jess from her buggy. 'Meanie' I say as I take Jessica from him.

'I'll put this one to bed now.' I make my way upstairs.

'Gerry, I'm going to get ready for bed. Could you bring some of that soup that you made the other day up please?' I ask.

"Okay." Gerry calls back.

I get changed for bed, and read for a while.

"Knock knock." Gerry comes in with a cup of soup. 'Thank you.' I smile, as he hands me the cup.

Gerry makes himself comfortable beside me. "Did you have a nice day?" he asks. 'Yeah.' I lean back against the headboard of the bed and sigh. 'Very tiring, though. I'm glad to be home' I continue.

Gerry gives me a kiss. "It was worth it, though." He smiles. 'Yeah, I'm so happy that everything for our wedding is coming together. What about the church, though? It might be booked up, it's quite a popular place to get married...' I muse, sipping my soup "Don't you worry about that, Sandra. It'll be okay." Gerry reassures me. '

'I'm just glad that my dress is sorted. It really is lovely.' I can't help but grin. "Can you at least give me some clues? Pleassee?" Gerry begs. I set my cup down and turn to him. 'No,' I smile cheekily. 'You are not are not allowed any clues. It's bad luck for you to see my dress until our wedding day, the 20th of July 2015.' I tease.

"But that's months away! Please Sandra!" he asks. 'No. As I've said, it's bad luck and we've had our fair share of that.' I answer.

"I suppose. I'll have to beg Cait for details. I guess that I could always ask Jessica, but she can't talk yet." Gerry says. 'Actually, she didn't see it. She was crying her eyes out at the time, before Paula saved the day by giving her a cuddle!' I reply.

"Ah okay." Hr answers. I can see that he's deep in thought. 'What's up?' I take his hand. "Nothing. I need to text Jayne in a minute, she said that she's sort something out for me but I don't think that she has... it's important, see..." he muses.

'Is it something for me?' I ask, perking up. "It might be." Gerry answers irritatingly. 'I dislike the few days just before Christmas! I hate waiting!' I huff.

"Well, it's only a couple of days away now. I hope that you've bought something for me!" Gerry looks hopeful. 'Of course! You'll just have to wait and see' two can play this game!

"What is it?" he asks. My plan has worked. 'Well if you tell me what I have then I'll tell you yours.' I reply.

He realises that he's been tricked. "No! You cheeky person!" he answers. I grin. 'I'll have to think of another joke to play on you... or maybe when your girls, exes, etc come over on Christmas day I'll get them to help me!' I giggle.


	37. Chapter 37-Christmas Eve

Chapter 37-Christmas Eve

'Gerry, are you sure that you don't want me to help you?' I ask. It's become tradition that Gerry's exes, daughters, and Jack, Brain and Esther all come to ours for Christmas dinner, then at New Year we usually all go to either Jack's or Brian and Esther's. It's also become tradition on Christmas Eve that Gerry gets very, very stressed about preparing all the food.

"I'm fine, I promise! Shouldn't you be getting dressed?" he asks.

'What's wrong with my onsie? Nobody else is going to see me!' I answer.

"Lazy!" Gerry shoots back.

'I hope that you're going to make some of my favourite gingerbread biscuits today! Complete with icing on the top!' I say. "There's no point in making any for anyone else, you'll just scoff them down!" Gerry teases.

'You're no worse with any type of cake! Jack and Brian are always moaning about when Brian brings in some cakes that Esther has made, you always eat 80% of them!' I answer. "That's true enough. I won't be able to talk to you for a while, I'm making you and Caitlin's Christmas cake!" he responds. I don't like normal Christmas cake/pudding; Caitlin doesn't either, so Gerry makes us a separate one.

"I honestly do not understand why you don't like normal Christmas pudding..." Gerry says a while later.

'Well, some people have different tastes!' I've just fed Jessica, and I'm now walking her up and down the hall, burping her and trying to get her to sleep. 'Come on little one, shh, shh' I try to reassure her. At this, she starts to cry.

'Oh well don't then!' I answer to this.

"Sandra take her upstairs, I can't concentrate! " Gerry whinges. 'All right!' I answer grumpily, stomping upstairs.

'Jess, calm down. Please! I don't want your Daddy getting angry!' I tell her. I try rocking her to sleep, but to no avail. Perhaps I should sing to her? Hmm...

10 minutes later...

So far, Jessica has heard my rendition of rock a bye baby, Mary had a little lamb, and little mouse with clogs on. For some reason, the latter always used to make me miserable whenever I heard it when I was little... I felt sorry for the poor mouse!

Ooh, I know one! Baa Baa, Black Sheep! I used to love it as a kid!

I sing it to Jessica, and she's beginning to look tired. 'Shh little one, Mummy's here, I love you.' I smile, placing my daughter into her cot. I sit on the chair next to it, and put my hand into the cot so Jess can grab onto one of my fingers.

About 10-20 minutes passes, and Jess is asleep. She has a tight grip on my finger, though. I manage to wriggle it out of her grasp, make my way quietly out of her room, and go back downstairs.

I'm a little grumpy about Gerry snapping at me, so I decide to put the TV on and ignore him. I flop onto the sofa and Lucky makes himself comfortable on my lap. Bella hasn't moved from her bed in the kitchen all morning, she's been hoping for a treat or scrap from Gerry!

"Er, Sandra? Wake up" I must have dropped off. I open my eyes to see Gerry sitting next to me with a plate full of gingerbread biscuits, my favourite! 'Aww, thank you Gerry! I take it this is a peace offering?' I ask. He nods, looking bashful. "Yes." He answers simply.

I wrap my arms around hum, place the plate of biscuits onto the coffee table and wriggle onto his lap.

'I forgive you.' I smile, snuggling into him and closing my eyes contentedly. "I'm sorry Sandra, I really am. I love you and Jessica very much... I'm sorry for snapping at you." he answers.

'That's all right, I said that I've forgiven you!' I smile, kissing him. 'Can I have a cookies now? Pleaaase?' I ask. "Of course." Gerry hands me an iced gingerbread cookies. I bite into it. 'Yummy! And they are still warm!' I say in-between bites.

"Thank you. And don't worry, you can eat all of them, I made an extra batch for tomorrow." Gerry says.

'Yay! Oh, by the way, at about 8 I'll bring Jessica down and then we are all going to watch the Muppets Christmas Carol together.' I say, finishing off my biscuit.

"Can't we watch something different?" Gerry begs. 'No! It's the standard Christmas Eve fare! No arguing!' I answer back. Gerry rolls his eyes. "I can see that there's no point in arguing with you, then!" he replies.

Evening...

'I think I'll go and have a bath now... then I'll feed Jess and we can watch the film.' I say.

"Okey doke, then. I'll take the dogs for their walk, Bella has been pretty hyper today!" answers Gerry as I make my way up the stairs.

"D'you want me to make up some formula milk or are you going to breast-feed her?" Gerry asks. 'Gerry, I breastfeed her morning and night, it's formula milk throughout the day! I swear that the word "routine" is not in your vocabulary!' I answer.

"Sorry!" Gerry replies.

"Peek-a-boo! Is that your Teddy? Is it?" I've just had my shower and I'm about to dry my hair when I hear giggles from downstairs.

'Gerry! Have you got Jess up? She was supposed to be napping!' I call down.

"Er... yes. I went into her room to see if she was okay, and she was awake..." Gerry trails off.

'That's okay! I'll be down in a couple of minutes.' I answer.

'Right, let's watch the film!' I've got changed into my pyjamas, and fed Jessica.

"Okay." Gerry answers, opening the TV cabinet and searching for the DVD.

Jessica decides to make herself comfortable by snuggling herself into my fluffy dressing gown. 'I was just about to go and get something to eat... oh well.' I say to her.

"Leave her alone! Let her sleep! I sleep all the time and you don't tell me off!" Gerry says.

'I suppose.' I answer as he makes himself comfortable as the adverts before the film comes onto the TV screen. I try to reach for the remote but I fail miserably.

'Gerry, get the TV remote please! Skip the ads!' I whinge. "All right, calm down!" Gerry reaches for the remote and obediently presses skip.

'I'm looking forward to tomorrow.' I smile, snuggling into Gerry. "I am too. I hope that you've wrapped all my presents!" he answers.


	38. Chapter 38-Christmas Day-Part 1

Chapter 38-Christmas Day-Part 1

The next day, I wake up early. Gerry is still asleep beside me. I can barely believe that I lead this type of life. With a fiancée, a baby, a two dogs. If someone told me that 8 or so years ago, I probably would have laughed in their face. I never, ever thought that I'd enjoy it.

One year ago, Gerry proposed to me. I smile as I reach for the small box that I keep my engagement ring in. I open it and slip it on. I check to see if Gerry's still sleeping. He is. I think that I'll take the dogs and Jessica out for a walk before the madness of the day ensues.

'Good morning, little one.' I smile as I make my way into my daughter's room. I lift her out of her cot and hold her close. 'And Happy Christmas.' I say, kissing her cheek. She smiles sleepily and wriggles a little.

With Jessica in my arms, I make my way to Gerry and I's room.

I sit on the bed next to Gerry. 'Wake up!' I whisper in his ear. At this, Jessica giggles.

Gerry rolls over to face us and smiles sleepily. "Good morning, Happy Christmas." He says. I lean over and give him a kiss. "One year ago." He grins. 'Since I made the worst decision in my life by deciding to marry you? I'm kidding.' I smile cheekily.

"I bloody well 'ope that you're joking!" Gerry says. "Can I give Jess a cuddle please?" he asks, sitting up. 'Of course.' I answer, handing her to him.

I can hear a whining at the door. 'Good morning, you two!' I grin, getting up and opening the door. Bella and Lucky rush in, tails wagging.

I make myself comfortable on the bed. Lucky jumps up as well, plonking himself on my lap. 'Hello, cheeky!' I laugh as scratch the top of his head gently.

"I think Jessica's hungry. Or grumpy. Or both." Gerry says. I look over to see Jess wriggling around in his arms, a scowl on her face. 'She's got 15 minutes before she's due to be fed! It's not 7am yet! Yes, she is probably grumpy because she's hungry. You know how grumpy I get if you're late back from work and you don't cook me dinner on time!' I answer, giggling.

"Er, yeah. About that. For your Christmas present, I'm going to give you cooking lessons." Gerry informs me, his face deadly serious.

'What! Are you actually joking?! But Gerry! Whyyy?' I whinge.

"Your face! I was joking!" he answers. 'That's mean!' I answer.

"Your reaction was priceless! Okay, I won't do that again, I promise." Gerry replies.

'You'd better not! Anyway, I have something to ask you.' I answer, feeling slightly anxious.

"What is it?" Gerry smiles, noting my worried expression.

'Well... could we go and visit the graves of James Jr and my Dad? It's okay if you don't want to come, I'll go on my own.' I tell him. He considers this. "I'd like to come. Have you got any flowers to lay on the grave or anything?" he asks.

'Yeah, I have.' I smile.

Half an hour later

By now, we've both got dressed and I've given Jess her breakfast.

'I don't fancy any breakfast...' I wrinkle my nose and frown.

"You have to have eat something!" Gerry says. 'I know, but I'm going to be eating a lot later, what with Christmas dinner and everything.' I reply.

"All right, why don't you get a banana or something?" Gerry suggests.

'Okay' I smile.

I install Jessica into her buggy and eat some banana and apple with some natural yoghurt.

"Ew, I cannot understand how you can eat that stuff! I'm goin' out for a cigarette" Gerry isn't too keen on natural yoghurt. 'For a pretty good chef you can be very fussy! And be quick about it!' I shoot back, standing up from my place at the table and dumping my dishes in the sink.

"Ready?" he asks a few minutes later. 'Yep.' I answer nervously.

'I can't do this. I feel scared.' We're at the gates leading to the church and graveyard.

"Yes, you can. Come on" Gerry encourages me. 'Since when did I become three years of age?' I ask as he opens the gate for me.

"Sorry" Gerry apologizes. 'That's alright, I was joking.' I smile.

"D'you know where the grave is?" he asks me. 'Sort of.' I reply.

I know my way around the yard, sort of.

'This is it.' We eventually come to a stop beside a large gravestone, and a small one.

'This James Jr's' I recognise the stone. It reads: "James Pullman: Much-loved and wanted son of Sandra Pullman."

My dad's grave is right next to my son's. I want to talk to him, I used to visit his grave a lot in my teens and 20s, but I got out of the habit years ago.

'Hi Dad, James. We've just come to say hello and Happy Christmas. Jess is doing fine, and I love you both very much.' I say, laying the bunch of flowers between the two headstones.

Tears are threatening to fall from my eyes, but I'm trying my best to stay strong.

"Yeah, Sandra's a great Mum. You'd be very proud of her, Gordon." Gerry adds.

'Thank you.' I smile in reply.

'Bye Dad, James. I'll come and visit you more often, I promise.' I say, and, with Gerry's arm on my back, carry Jess back down the graveyard path.


	39. Chapter 39-Christmas Day-Part 2

Chapter 39-Christmas Day-Part 2

"Thank you so much Sandra! I thought that you'd forgotten!" Gerry beams as he tears the wrapping paper off the baking set that I bought for him in London.

'Here's the other one. Cait suggested it.'

Gerry unwraps his present, a watch. He dropped his previous one the other day, and it refused to work.

'I hope it comes in useful, and please don't drop it!' I tell him. "I won't! Thank you." he replies.

"Now for yours. I just need to nip upstairs to get it." Gerry says. 'Alright, don't be too long, though! I have to pick my Mum up from Whitemead at 10:30' I answer.

"I'm coming downstairs now. Shut your eyes." Gerry commands. This takes me back to last year! 'I hope you're not proposing to me again?' I ask, bouncing Jess on my knee. She's not in the best of moods.

"No, I ain't. Are your eyes shut?" he asks.

'Yes! Come down quickly though, I'm willing to bet that Jessica will either start screaming or deposit her breakfast all over my trousers!' I warn.

I can hear his footsteps increase upstairs. That's moved him! I bet he doesn't fancy cleaning up baby sick, especially on Christmas Day...

"I think it's best if I open it for you. You can open your eyes now." He says. In the box is a necklace, with a ruby, which is my birthstone, carved into a heart shape.

My eyes widen. 'Gerry! This is gorgeous!' I smile.

"I knew you'd love it. Look at the back of it." he instructs me.

'Okay.' I turn the stone over.

On the back of the stone, the words "Gerry," "Sandra" and "Jessica" are engraved onto it. Above the names is the word "Family".

Tears rush to my eyes. 'Gerry, it really is beautiful.' I smile.

"Here's something else." Gerry hands me another package. I unwrap it.

There's a bracelet with a smaller stone attached to it. engraved on the stone are the words "Bella" and "Lucky" with a small paw print.

'Gerry, I am overwhelmed, this is so special-and so cute!' I smile.

"D'you want to put the necklace on now?" Gerry asks with a smile.

'I would love to, but I have to go and pick my mother up soon, and she'll only complain about how you always buy me trinkets…' I sigh. "Sandra, you are a grown woman, and you are definetly not still under her thumb." Gerry answers. I nod. 'Okay then, I'll wear the necklace. But, if my Mum starts to nag me about it, you will be the one in trouble!' I warn.

'D'you think I should put this little lady down for a nap or should she just chill on her play mat for a while?' I ask Gerry later on, I'm just about to go and collect my mum.

"I think that she should have a nap, after all, the exes, and Esther will be here later on demanding cuddles and I don't think they would appreciate a grumpy Jessica." Gerry replies.

'Hmm.' I pick Jessica up. 'Come on, little one. Nap time.' I tell her, retrieving a stray piece of wrapping from Bella's mouth. 'Bad dog! Do not eat wrapping paper!' I scold her.

I set Jess down for a nap, call goodbye to Gerry and make my way out to the car.


	40. Chapter 40-Christmas Day-Part 3

Chapter 40 Christmas Day Part 3

As I drive to the care home, I try to clear my head. I must not let my mother lecture me on what clothes Jessica is wearing, I must also not let her lecture Gerry on the quality of his Christmas dinner. I personally believe that his turkey is cooked to perfection, and the chestnuts, parsnips, and other assorted vegetables are cooked perfectly as well. But, obviously, my mother will find something to nitpick, she always does!

I draw up at Whitemead, and get out of the car. I make my way into the care home, talk to the receptionist. She informs me that my Mum is in the day room, and is ready to go.

Several other residents are in the day room, talking to their relatives and receiving presents.

My mum is sat in the corner, chatting to her friend. 'Hi, Mum, Happy Christmas.' I say. My Mother stands up. "You're a bit late, aren't you Sandra?" she asks crossly. Her friend rolls her eyes. 'Hello, Lucy, Happy Christmas.' I tell her. Then I deal with my Mum. 'Jess was a little fidgety whilst I was putting her down for a nap, and instead of leaving Gerry to deal with it, I did it myself because he's making Christmas dinner.' I reply.

"Well, I would have prepared everything the day before." Mum grumbles. My hands ball into fists. I wish that she'd stop picking on everything that Gerry and I do!

'Well, Gerry does things differently because he is not you! Anyway, let's be off.' I stalk out of the room and into the hall. "All right, calm down," Mum gets her bags,, says goodbye to Lucy and follows me.

I drive home. My mum, thankfully, does not complain about anything on the way home.

'Mum: be warned that Lucky and Bella will be all over you…' I tell her as we get out of the car. "Who are Bella and Lucky?" Mum asks. 'The two dogs that we adopted a couple of months after Jess was born?' I try to jog her memory. "Oh, those things. please could you shut them upstairs?" Mum asks. 'Okay.' I reply.

What she doesn't know is that Gerry Junior adores Bella and Lucky, so therefore will likely go upstairs to see them and will forget to shut the door after him, and they will rush downstairs because food is on the go.

However, I don't mention this to Mum as I unlock the front door. 'Gerry! Mum's here!' I call.

Two furry forms throw themselves at me. 'Hey you two!' I smile in spite of myself.

'Come on, Mum. They are very friendly, I can assure you.' I turn to see that Mum is standing at the doorway. "Are you quite sure about that?" Mum asks doubtfully. 'Yes! Now come in and shut the door, it's cold.' I snap.

Mum comes in and shuts the door. I take her coat.

'D'you want me to get Jessica up?' I ask Mum, hoping that she'll say no. "No, it's alright." Mum smiles. I notice that she is petting Bella. 'Do you want me to put them upstairs?' I ask Mum, trying not to laugh. She's smitten with Bella.

"It's okay, this one is quite sweet actually. What did you say her name was?" Mum replies. 'Bella. I'm just going to check how Gerry is doing in the kitchen.' I answer.

'Hey hey.' I walk into the kitchen and shut the door. He wipes his hands and pulls me into his arms. "Hello, hows your Mum?" he asks. 'Niggling and nagging me as usual.' I sigh. "Hey, it's okay, don't let her get to you." He replies. Giving me a kiss.

I smile. 'I know. Should we give her her present now?' I ask. "In a couple of minutes, I'm nearly finished." Gerry answers.

When Gerry has finished cooking, I give Mum her usual bubble bath set. "Thank you, Sandra." She smiles. 'And here is the third present, from Jessica.' I smile as Mum unwraps it.

"Thank you, Sandra." Mum's trying not to look too pleased, but I can tell that she's over the moon. You see, her friend got given a very expensive type of soap for her birthday, but she didn't like the scent so Mum had it, and she loved it. But she couldn't find it in any of the shops. Gerry, bless him, searched and searched for the soap because he knew that Mum loved it, and he eventually did find it.

'That's okay, and it wasn't really Jess. It was Gerry' I answer. Mum looks very surprised. "Oh! That's lovely of him." Mum looks like the cat who has got the cream.

"Er, d'you like my present then, Grace?" oh this is adorable. Gerry is standing at the living room doorway shuffling his feet in embarrassment. It's seriously so cute!

'Gerry, stop acting like an embarrassed schoolboy. She loves it.' I grin. Gerry looks relieved. "Er, 'Appy Christmas, Grace." He says.

Mum smiles. "Now, you're not having your present yet, Sandra. But here is Gerry's" she hands him a small wrapped present. It's a scarf.

"Seeing as Sandra loves wearing scarves, I thought that it was high time to get you one." Mum says as a way of explanation. "Thank you." Smiles Gerry.

Hmm. Is my Mother winding me up? Or has she forgotten to get me something? I wonder.

Gerry catches my worried expression. "It's okay, Sandra." He informs me with a smile. Okay, something is definitely going on here!

"Here is Jessica's presents." Mum hands me a small gift bag. 'Thank you' I smile as I hear a cry from upstairs. Jessica.

'I'll go and get Jess.' I say and go upstairs.

'Hey, little one. Your Gran's here.' I tell her, lifting her out of her cot.

I think I'll bottle-feed her for the rest of the day, so I can have a glass of wine or something… Then again, my mother will probably say something about the fact that I'll mess up Jess's feeding routine. Oh well, it's Christmas, she can say what she likes!

I carry Jess downstairs and hand her to my Mum. Gerry's checking on the cooking in the kitchen, so I go in and shut the door.

As he gets up, I wrap my arms around his waist. He jumps slightly and turns around. "What's all this in aid of?" he asks, kissing me.

'Do you know what my Mother's up to?" I ask in between kisses.

Gerry nods. "I do. You'll find out shortly." He answers, stepping out of my arms. 'Hang on a sec.' I pull him back to me and give him a final kiss. 'That's for keeping my Mother happy.' I say, giving him a smile and going back into the lounge.

"Er, Sandra…" My mum's skirt is spattered with baby sick. 'Oh, Jess…' I sigh. Amazingly, she hasn't got a single speck of sick on herself.

I sweep Jessica up and put her on the sofa next to Mum. 'I'll go and get you a cloth.' I tell Mum.

As I make my way into the kitchen yet again, there's a knock at the front door. "Here comes trouble." Gerry comments as I grab a towel.

'Here you go, Mum.' I dump a towel onto her lap and open the front door. Alison, Carole, and Jayne tumble through the front door, followed by Cait, Amelia, Emily, Gerry Junior and Paula. Mayhem.

'Morning, you lot. Listen, don't comment on the state of my Mother's skirt. Jess had an accident.' I say quietly as I take their coats. "No problem, my lips are sealed." Caitlin replies. 'Thank you. As a reward, you can go and get the box of Roses, they're in the cupboard next to the washing machine.' You see, I buy us all a tin of sweets for Christmas Day and try to hide them from Gerry, who if he finds the hiding place, will scoff them all and refuse to admit it.

"Right. Dinner's on and will be ready in about an hour and a half." Gerry announces, coming into the lounge.

Another knock at the door. That would be Jack, Brain and Esther. "I'll get it." says GJ, getting up. 'Thanks.' I smile at him.

"Ah, good morning GJ. Has Sandra had her present yet?" I can hear Esther. "Nope". The younger Gerry replies.

'What present?' I ask.

"Well… a few months ago, Gerry talked to a travel agent. He wanted to plan as surprise holiday for you, but I talked him into something else." Jack hands me an envelope with "Sandra and Gerry's Honeymoon (featuring Jess)" written on it. Ahhh!

I open the envelope. Inside, is two tickets for a cruise! Booked for the 21st of May, sailing around the Caribbean, for three weeks! Oh my God!

'Thank you so much! I've always wanted to go back to the Tropics!' I sqeaul, giving Gerry a smacking great kiss on the lips, in front of everyone.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41-Christmas Day-Part 4

A/N

So this fic is going to move on pretty fast timewise after this, probably up to the wedding. I'm running out of ideas, I've been working on this fic for 11 months now… It's time to say goodbye I think. Not to the fandom, but to this fic.

I hope you guys will understand!

Laura xxx

I'm having a chat with Paula and GJ when Gerry announces that dinner is ready. "Food!" GJ shouts, causing Jess, who is currently having a cuddle with my mum to start screaming. Oh no. this cannot be good.

To my utter and total astonishment, Caitlin gets up and takes Jess from my Mum and calms her down. Whaa?

My mother looks shocked too. Hmm. Whatever nasty or barbed comments she's been making about Cait, I hope that she takes back!

'Wasn't Caitlin good with Jess?' I ask Mum as we make our way into the kitchen. She sniffs and nods. "Hmm." She replies. Ah, she knows Caitlin's done well with my daughter, but she won't admit it!

Christmas Lunch is amazing, as usual. Gerry Junior has second and third helpings, and then announces that he's stuffed. I reckon that he'll be sick before the day's out.

"The meal was lovely, Gerry." Mum is the first to compliment after we have finished. I try to hide my surprise and follow Mum's lead. 'Yeah, it was lovely, Gerry.'

A couple of hours later…

Mum has gone home by now, and almost everyone is asleep in front of the sofa.

Jessica is out for the count, Bella and Lucky are snoring on the laps of Jayne and Paula. Gerry Junior is playing on Paula's phone, this is the only time that he's been quiet today!

I smile at the scene. These people are family, my family. And I couldn't be happier.

I'm getting married in five months, and I'm going on an amazing honeymoon afterwards. In the New Year, I hope to occasionally surprise the boys by popping into the office every now and again, and of course I'll be visiting my Mum, and Esther. I bet she'll spoil us both to death!

Gerry starts to snore. Right, it's time to go out of the room and start putting all the stuff in the dishwasher, I hate Gerry's snoring, and usually it's so loud that it will wake everyone up!


	42. Chapter 42-The Wedding Part 1

Chapter 42-The Wedding-Part 1

May 19th 2015

Tomorrow I am going to get married. To Gerry.

Paula, Emily, Caitlin, Amelia, Jessica, and I are staying in a hotel which Gerry booked. My wedding dress is going to be delivered tomorrow morning.

Bella and Lucky are going to be at the wedding reception, Gerry drew the line at them attending the wedding! They are staying with Brian and Esther whilst we are away.

I'm supposed to be meeting up with Caitlin at the bar downstairs for a drink, but I'm exhausted. I packed all my things for our trip yesterday, but Gerry revealed that he " didn't have time to pack" (as if!.) so I spent the whole of yesterday badgering/forcing him into packing, and then eventually sent him off to Esther and Brian's where he's staying the night.

I feel sick with nerves. Have I really made the right decision? Will everything go smoothly tomorrow? I'm comfortable with being in charge at work, I know where everything is. A wedding is another matter. I'm going to be the centre of attention. What if I trip up? What if Jess starts to cry and no one can calm her down?

Okay, okay. I must not think "what if?" and must think positive.

I think I'll just close my eyes for two minutes and then text Caitlin to tell her that I'm turning in for the night…

"Sandra! Wake up!"

What just happened?

I open my eyes to see Caitlin. 'Er… what's the time?' I ask. "3 in the morning! I heard Jess crying, and I came to investigate" she replies.

'Is she okay?' I ask, panicky.

"Sandra, stop worrying! She's fine, I gave her some milk and bread, like you told me to!" oh yes, I forgot that I left her instructions on what to do if I dropped off…

Caitlin sees my worried look. "Calm down. I brought you a sandwich and a drink as well." She hands me a cup and a plate.

'Thank you' I smile as I take a sip of hot chocolate. I honestly don't mind if it's warm outside, hot chocolate is my favourite hot drink.

"Are you nervous?" Cait asks. I nod. 'Course I am.' I answer truthfully.

"I'm nervous about tripping over my dress and dropping ours at the wrong moment" Caitlin confesses.

'You'll be okay. I'm thankful that I'm not going to have a veil!' I say. Instead of a veil, I'm simply going to wear a tiara, I picked it out from the bridal shop and I love it!

"It's really pretty" Caitlin answers. 'Thank you" I smile.

We chat for a while longer, going through every detail of the wedding plans step by step.

"You will do fine, I promise." Caitlin gives me a hug. 'I hope so!anywyay, we'd better get to sleep. Goodnight' I smile.

"


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43-The Wedding Part 2-Hairspray and Babies

A/N

Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. I cannot believe we're almost at the end! I must admit that I almost cried whilst writing this chapter... This fic has not only been a journey for Sandra, Gerry, and little Jessica, it's been a journey for myself as well, writing-wise. I will be forever grateful. Thank you to all who have encouraged, and helped me though this process. I LOVE YOU LOTS AND LOTS!

Laura xxx

I'm woken by somebody knocking at my hotel room door. 'Come in.' I say, still half asleep.

A pillow is promptly thwacked on my shoulder. I sit up. 'Ow! What's so important that I have to wake up at,' I glance at the clock on my beside table. '7AM?!' I scowl at Caitlin, Ameila, Emily, and Paula, who's holding a grizzly Jessica.

"You're getting married today, duh!" Cait rolls her eyes. Oh yeah. Today I am going to become Mrs Satnding.

'Oh God.' I snuggle back under the covers.

Amelia pulls them off the bed.

"Shower. Now. No arguments. We are your makeup assistants for the day, and we are the bosses." Caitlin orders.

'Okay, calm down. The ceremony is at 12:30, we've got loads of time!' I protest.

Paula and Cait exchange glances. Clearly, they don't think so.

I have a shower and wash my hair.

I emerge out of the shower wrapped in my fluffy dressing gown.

"Your wedding dress has arrived! First we'll do your hair, get the dress on, and then do your makeup. Is that okay?" Cait confirms.

'Whatever you decide.' I smile. I know better than to argue with her when she's in charge!

I sit down in the chair in front of the dressing table and mirror and close my eyes. I hate anyone or anything touching my hair. I guess I will just have to grin and bear it.

Paula hands Jessica to me and starts to brush my hair. I grit my teeth and concentrate on my daughter.

'Hey little one! Are you looking forward to mummy and daddy's wedding? I hope you're going to be good!' I smile at her. She giggles. She's grown up so much in the past 5 months, it's crazy! She can't exactly speak yet, but she's always chattering!

"Can I hold Jess?" Cait appears at my side. "Nope! Once I've finished brushing Sandra's hair it's your turn to put it up, remember? We did talk through this!" Paula says.

"Oh yes." Caitlin makes a face and moves into Paula's place.

Caitlin ties my hair up into a ponytail and then puts it up into a bun.

"Hairspray next." She says. I hand Jessica to Paula and cover my face with my hands.

Cait shakes the bottle of hairspray up and lets rip. I squeeze my eyes shut even tighter.

"You can put your hands down now. We're all done." Paula says, what seems hours later.

"Em! Please can you get Sandra's tiara?" Caitlin's voice resembles a foghorn and makes me jump.

"Bloody hell, Cait. Keep it down!" I growl.

"Okay." Caitlin rolls her eyes."

"One tiara. And Sandra, this just arrived for you." Emily hands me a note.

I open it.

It reads: "Hey Sandra! I hope the girls aren't meaning too bossy. Can't wait to see you at church, I bet you'll look amazing. And tell Jessica that she has to behave or else Auntie Esther will tell her off! All my love Gerry, your (almost) husband. Xxx"

'Aww.' I cannot help but smile.

"Who's that from?" Amelia tries to read the note over my shoulder.

Paula shoves her good-naturedly. "None of your business!" she says, and then asks me if she can read it.

"No you can't, cheeky beggar!" I scowl.

"Can we all stop bickering and get on please?" Caitlin looks slightly-er, no make that very, annoyed.

"Okay, okay. Buzz off, you lot.' I order.

My tiara is placed onto my head, and then roses are threaded through my bun.

Then there's a bit of a break as the girls get into their bridesmaids dresses, I dress Jessica in her flowergirl outfit. She looks adorable!

'You look so cute!' I snap a picture on my phone.

"I agree" Paula sweeps Jess up.

'Oi! Stop stealing my baby!' I tease.

"We can't help it. It's time to get you into your wedding dress now." Caitlin appears at my side.

My hearts starts to thud. This is it, it's really happening.

With a bit of help from Amelia and Emily, I get into my wedding dress.

There's a knock at the hotel room door. It's my Mum.

"Oh Sandra." Her mouth drops open. "You look lovely."

I smile shyly. 'Thank you.' I say.

"Well, I would like to say good luck. I didn't wholeheartedly approve of you and Gerry's relationship at the beginning, but now I do. I am so proud of you." She comes towards me and embraces me.

I hug her back and a tear comes out of one of my eyes.

'Thank you. For everything.' I answer.

"I haven't done anything. You have a family, Sandra, and we all love you. Your father would've burst with pride if he'd have known you today." Mum says.

'I-I don't know what to say…' I truly am speechless. This is the highest praise I have ever had from my mother, I could not be more grateful.

Mum smiles. "I'm going to go downstairs and wait for you now. See you soon." And with that, she's gone.

I'm still speechless. Caitlin sees that I am struggling and helps me back to the chair.

"Hey, calm down." She says as I start to cry.

'All right, all right. It's my wedding day, I'm allowed to be emotional.' I wipe my eyes.

My makeup is applied and we're ready to go to church. I take a deep breath. I'm going to take the plunge.


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44-Wedding Bells-The Final Chapter

A/N

So this is the last chapter! I hope you enjoy and that it's not too cheesy!

I hope that you all have enjoyed this fic!

Laura xxx

"Is Jess okay? Is everyone organized?" I ask Caitlin as she gets into the wedding car.

"Yes! I don't understand why I can't go in the other car with the others!" Caitlin snaps.

"Calm down. Sandra has asked you to come with us because apparently my reassurances are not enough!" Jack replies as we set off.

I scowl but keep my mouth shut.

"Cheer up. You're getting married!" Jack says.

I smile in spite of myself. "I still can't believe it."I admit.

"Yes, after years of not admitting that you're in love with each other, you move in together, Gerry proposes and a baby comes along!" Jack shakes his head.

"When UCOS first started up, I certainly didn't think I would be getting married to Gerry." I say. Caitlin nods in agreement.

"He referred to you as "the bloody dog shooter who talks too much"" Caitlin chips in.

"He never told me that!" I reply.

"Good thing he didn't." Jack mutters as we get to the church.

My heart starts to thud. I can't turn back now.

"You okay Sandra?" Caitlin has got out of the car and is obviously waiting for me to join her. I nod and get out.

Everyone gets organized and pictures are taken.

"Ready?" Jack asks. I nod and take his arm.

The Wedding March starts and we all make our way down the aisle.

I look at the back of Gerry's head.

He eventually turns around and gasps.

"You look amazing." He says as I reach the altar.

"Thank you." I smile.

The service begins.

It's not long until we have to say "I do."

"Sandra Pullman, do you take Gerry Standing to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the minister asks.

"I do." I answer.

"I now pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride." The minister says.

Gerry cups my face in his hands and kisses me.

There's a general "awws" from Esther and my mum and a couple of "ew, they are so soppy" from the girls.

The wedding music starts up again and we walk back down the aisle as husband and wife.

We all get to the entrance to the church and confetti falls to the ground all around us.

"You look amazing Mrs Standing." Gerry smiles as we all gather on the church steps for photographs.

"Thank you Mr Standing" I answer, giving him another kiss.

THE END!


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